Touch China > Culture Express   

Celebration for fairy tale master
   CCTV.COM   2004-03-01 13:03:50   


    Children right across the globe know and love the fairy tales written by legendary Danish story-teller Hans Christian Anderson. Titles such as "The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Match Girl" and "The Red Shoes" are household names from Beijing to Budapest. Next year marks the writer's 200th anniversary. In anticipation of this event the Bikuben Foundation, Denmark's largest social and cultural organization have launched "HCA 2005," a global celebration of Anderson's work. A press conference and performance on the evening of Feb.27 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing kicked off the celebrations.

    The Danish ballet dancers delivered a special opening for the "HCA 2005" global celebration in China. Inspired by Anderson's well-known tale "The Wild Swans", dancers from his homeland paid tribute to this giant of 19th century Danish literature. Another, radically different, version of the same story was later presented by Hebei Opera Academy. This moving performance combined traditional Chinese art with Western literature.

    The press conference doubled as a star studded gala, featuring state leaders and celebrities from all circles. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's heartfelt speech opened the event, followed by the Secretary General of the HCA 2005 Foundation. During the bicentennial celebrations, Chinese audiences will be treated to a host of Anderson-inspired events, including motion pictures, TV features, exhibitions, concerts and a number of Sino-Danish co-productions. A highlight of Feb.27's press conference was the announcement of the HCA Ambassadors. These included representatives from the fields of politics, athletics, business and the arts. Lin Hua, Zhang Jinglai, Song Zuying, Ju Ping and Yao Ming and three others were chosen to represent China.

    Chinese audiences, from the young to the young at heart, will be entertained by the works of the great Danish storyteller. 35 countries will join in the global HCA 2005 celebrations, including China, the US, Norway, the UK, France, Germany and Japan. It looks as though, 200 years on, the works of Hans Christian Anderson will continue to be admired throughout the world.


Editor: Sun Weichao  CCTV.com


China Central Television,All Rights Reserved