On July 31, Ambassador Guo Xiaomei’s article titled "A shared culture is the best culture" was published in Estonian Newspaper Õhtuleht.
Full text can be found here:
https://www.ohtuleht.ee/1111794/parim-kultuur-on-jagatud-kultuur
The English text is as follows:
It has been almost one year since I came to Estonia now, where I was continually impressed by the remarkable enthusiasm of the Estonian people for cultural activities. I often recall the opening of 2024 Cultural Diversity Year at Tallinn College of Music and Ballet held in January. During the event, the Estonian Minister of Culture Madam Heidy Purga said in her speech, "the Cultural Diversity Year opens the door to the world of different cultures living in our shared land". I enjoyed the folk songs, the dances of various ethnic groups, the traditional Seto folk costumes, the making of reed crowns and the rich cultural heritage of Estonia displayed by Lahemaa Heritage House. Colleagues from my Embassy also exhibited paper-cutting, chopsticks challenge, shuttlecock, pitch-pot and other traditional Chinese cultural activities to the Estonian people.
As Estonians always say, a shared culture is the best culture. Estonia is located at the junction of the East and West, with its capital Tallinn lying at the crossroads of Europe, where eastern and western cultures met and integrated. As one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, the Tallinn Old Town sits at the heart of a modern city, where the past and the present collide and match. Estonian cuisine is also a unique blend of local and German, Russian and Swedish customs. Tartu city being chosen as the European Capital of Culture 2024 further proves Estonia's commitment to promote international people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation, and the cultural inclusiveness.
When I saw the saying "a shared culture is the best culture", a Chinese saying "Cherish one's own value and respect others', when all values are respected and cherished, the world will become harmonious whole" came to my mind. There are striking similarities between the two sayings, which both aim at strengthening cultural exchanges with equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness. And this is also the only way to allow excellent cultures of various countries to demonstrate immense charm and vitality that transcends time, space, and countries, jointly promoting the prosperity of world culture and truly benefiting the whole of human society.
Wouldn’t it be the same, if comparing exchanges between different countries with those between different cultures? If only countries with different histories, cultures, social systems and ideologies, no matter close or distant, big or small, developed or developing, could based on an open and inclusive attitude, treat each other with equality and mutual respect, strengthen exchanges, enhance understanding, promote common grounds and harmonious coexistence while reserve differences, how many conflicts and misunderstandings would have been disappear, and how much peace and prosperity would have been preserved? Just as a shared culture is the best culture, a shared future is the best future.
The key to sound state-to-state relations lies in the affinity between their peoples, and the affinity between the peoples stems from their mutual understanding from the bottom of heart. People-to-people and cultural exchanges have always been important bridges for mutual understanding. Cultural activities, such as "Happy Spring Festival" event, Estonian-Chinese Open Friendship Championships in Kungfu (Wushu), Estonian Wing Chun Championship and tea art demonstrations are quite popular in Estonia. At the same time, Estonia's unique charm attracts a steady stream of Chinese tourists. Taking advantage of the 2024 Estonian Year of Cultural Diversity, I have visited different areas in Estonia and had a lot of exchanges with local people. I’m deeply honor for the opportunities to promote China-Estonia cultural exchanges. Let’s make joint efforts for a more colorful and vibrant garden of world civilizations.