IN SEOUL

The first Chinese Culture Center in Asia was inaugurated in Seoul in December 2004, which provides South Koreans with Chinese language teaching service and information about China and Chinese culture.The Chinese Culture Center in Seoul, the sixth of its kind in the world set by the Chinese government, introduces China to South Koreans through holding exhibitions, seminars and other activities. Chinese Vice Cultural Minister Meng Xiaosi who inaugurated the Seoul Chinese Culture Center together with South Korean National Assembly Vice Speaker Park Hee-tae, Culture and Tourism Minister Chung Dong-chae and other Chinese and South Korean officials.The setting up of Chinese Culture Center in Seoul was an important outcome of cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and South Korea. It becomes a stage, which curtains never fall, for people, especially youth, of both countries to contact and know more about each other, and it will be a bridge for bilateral relations and the friendship between South Korean and Chinese people.More and more South Koreans are eager to study Chinese and learn more about China. It is not only because that Chinese and South Korean cultures are very close, for the long history of bilateral cultural exchanges and geographic closeness, but the full-scale development of bilateral relations in recent years.China became South Korea's top investment and travel destination, as well as the biggest trade partner this year. Chinese language and culture studies are also getting popular in South Korea. It is called "a blow of Chinese Wind" in South Korea, in parallel with the Chinese saying "the flow of South Korean Stream" which shows the influence of South Korean culture in China.The setting up of Chinese Culture Center in Seoul meets the needs of many South Koreans to study Chinese and learn Chinese culture. It is also helpful for Chinese culture to be introduced to other countries in the world, including South Korea.The six-floor Chinese Culture Center building, located near the building of South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has a library, several classrooms and rooms for exhibitions and function activities. This Center is known for teaching high-quality Chinese as well as Chinese music, Tai-chi martial arts, calligraphy, cooking, tea manners and acupuncture.China has set up two Chinese Culture Centers in Mauritius and Benin in 1980s and another three in France, Egypt and Malta during the past three years. Around 100,000 people attended activities held by Chinese Culture Centers in these five countries in 2004, according to a press release from Chinese Culture Ministry.Telephone: 02-733-8307~9