Saudi Cultural Year – Chinese 2025

Iman Hammoud Al -Shammari

I remember when I came to China in 2022 on the first visit of a completely unknown country for me and I do not know much about it and in exceptional circumstances such as the Corona epidemic, that was then an adventure from me, but it changed many misconceptions I have, and there is no doubt that the Chinese also were waiting for me as a Saudi lady who did not know much about her and the culture of her country, but they knew a lot by dealing with me !! The approach to the people and the understanding of their culture enhances the understanding of the truth and revealed many hidden aspects, and this is what happened to me when it was closed to the door of the stone !! I saw the system and respect even when introducing something behind the door, I was contemplating the method of folding the bags, stacking the water bottles and the clean, organized room overlooking the street, everything was telling me that this people are organized and respect their guest even with exceptional circumstances, but at the same time the law applies to everyone. When I returned to Saudi Arabia, she was asking me a lot of questions to this people who were ambiguous, the simplest and most trivial question was asked: Do they smile?

Now, on my third visit to this country that I merged with and with his people and I know a lot about him, it has become easy to negotiate with them in the market despite the absence of the language, I share their interaction and applause with their dance offers in the street and laugh at me.

We cannot deny or question the importance of understanding the culture of the country, as this type of understanding and communication will be reflected in the durability of ties between the two countries and will take another course of the depth of relations that may affect political or even economic decisions, as a decision such as the visa exemption to Saudis may be related to the durability of the ties between the two countries.

The year 2025 corresponds to the Saudi -Chinese cultural year, as it included four executive programs that include the museum in Shanghai, in which Saudi Arabia participated in introducing its ancient history in Diriyah, the Chinese National Museum, the Chinese Palace Museum, and the Chinese Cultural Heritage Department, in addition to cooperation in the film sector, and other events, which included an exhibition of Saudi plastic artist Ahmed Mater in Shanghai, and a special cooperation between the Saudi Museums Authority and the Museum Shanghai, with long -term loan for artwork.

Such type of communication is a way to bring distances between countries, and to reduce cultural gaps that may be due to the misconceptions, as this exchange and cultural understanding, whether through arts, literature, or even food and customs, will contribute to breaking the psychological barriers between the two people A way to understand the lifestyle of each of them, and gives it an opportunity to interact directly with a new culture.

The Saudi -Chinese Cultural General, a strategic step towards building bridges that communicate based on mutual understanding and joint cooperation, a platform for promotion of heritage, and displaying cultural identity through arts, music, and handicrafts, which contributes to building a clear image of the country’s culture, and opens the door for cooperation in other fields, such as student exchange programs, workshops, and scholarships, and will be reflected in the relationship of Saudi and Chinese students, and encourages the new generation To think about cooperating in various fields in the future, and achieves one of the goals of the national strategy for culture by enhancing international cultural exchange.