China and Nepal are traditional friendly neighbors and the cultural interactions between the two countries could be traced back to ancient times. In 1955, China and Nepal established formal diplomatic relations, since then, the bilateral relationship and cultural exchanges have been developing very fast. In 1956, the Nepalese Prime Minister Acharya paid an official visit to China and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai visited Nepal the next year. These mutual visits resulted in the issue of the Joint Declaration and the Joint Communiqué successively, which indicated the common keenness of both nations to further develop the bilateral relations in the field of economy, trade and culture. In 1964, the two countries signed the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of Kingdom of Nepal. To further strengthen the cultural exchange between the two countries, on the basis of the original cultural agreement, a new agreement on cultural cooperation was signed in the year of 1999. In addition to the official cultural interactions, the non-governmental exchange between the two countries witnessed a long-term, friendly and fruitful momentum in the cultural cooperation and exchange. The people-to-people cultural exchange had played an important role in strengthening and consolidating the friendship between the two peoples.

The Major Events of Cultural Exchange between China and Nepal
(1955-2001)

The Government Delegations

* On Aug.1 of 1955, China and Nepal established formal diplomatic relations.

* In 1956, the Prime Minister of Nepal Acharya paid an official visit to China and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai visited Nepal the next year. These mutual visits resulted in the issue of the Joint Declaration and the Joint Communiqué successively, which indicated the common keenness of both nations to further develop the bilateral relations in the field of economy, trade and culture.

* In July of 1956, the Governmental cultural delegation led by Minister of Education, Health and Local Self-government Ba Sharma visited China. This was the first cultural delegation sent by the Nepalese government. The members of the delegation included famous professor, historian, economist, writer, poet, artist and social worker. Minister of Culture of China warmly welcomed the delegation by giving a banquet.

* In Nov. of 1956, the Chinese Buddhism delegation led by Mr. Shes-rab Gyl-cuo went to Nepal for participating the 4th World Buddhists Conference. Mr. Shes-rab Gyl-cuo was elected as one of the nine vice presidents of World Buddhists Union.

* In June of 1957, the 19-member Cultural delegation of the Chinese government led by Chu Tunan visited Nepal.

* From Sep to Oct in 1959, the 3-person delegation from Nepal-China Friendship Association led by the president of the Association Poorna Bahadur M.A. paid a visit to China. The delegation attended the ceremony on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Founding of P.R. China and visited Beijing and Guangzhou. The Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai received the delegation.

* In February 1964, the 4-member Chinese delegation led by the Chinese vice minister of Culture Hu Yuzhi visited Nepal and His Majesty the king Mahendra granted an audience to the delegation.

* On Oct. 11, 1964, the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation between the Government of the People's Republic of China and His Majesty's Government of Nepal was signed in Kathmandu. The Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Shijie and the Secretary of Ministry of Education of Nepal Shyam Krishna Bhattarai signed the agreement on behalf of the two governments respectively.

* From Aug to Sep in 1965, the 4-member Nepalese delegation led by the member of the standing committee of Privy Council of Nepal Bashnet visited China. Chairman Mao Zedong and Vice Chairman Liu Shaoqi received the delegation.

* On Sep. 3 of 1965, the Chinese Government and the Nepalese Government signed the Executive Programme for the year of 1965 of the Agreement on the Cultural Cooperation between the two governments. The bilateral cultural exchange related to the fields of literature, drama, music, dance, acrobatics, fine arts, film, translation and publication, education, science, medicine and health, sports, news and religion, etc.

* In Sep. of 1996, the cultural delegation with 7 members from the Nepalese Government led by Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture of Nepal Bahadur visited China.

* In Mar. of 1997, the 5-person cultural delegation from the Chinese government led by vice minister of culture Pan Zhenzhou visited Nepal.

* From Dec. 24 to 30 in 1999, the 5-person cultural delegation from the Nepalese government led by Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Sarad Singh Bhandari visited China and both sides signed the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation between the Government of the People's Republic of China and His Majesty's Government of Nepal in Beijing.

* From Nov. 3 to 8 in 2000, the Joint Secretary of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal Dr. Shaphalya Amatya attended the Second Shanghai International Art Festival and signed the Executive Programme of the Agreement on the cultural cooperation between the two governments for the year 2000 -2002 in Beijing.

* From March 4 to 8 in 2001, a 7-member delegation from Information Office of the State Council of China led by director general Dong Yunhu visited Nepal at the invitation of Information Department of Nepal.

Performance

* In Sep of 1960, upon the invitation of the Nepalese government, the Chinese Youth Art Troupe led by Wen Fei visited Nepal. The Prime Minister Koirala met with Wen Fei and the main artists of the troupe. His Majesty the King and the Queen, the Prime Minister and his wife viewed the first show in Kathmandu and met with the performers. The municipal council of Kathmandu, Nepal-China Friendship Association, the Youth Forum of Nepal and other youth organizations in Nepal successively held reception and welcome ceremony for the Chinese Youth Art Troupe.

* From April to May in 1965, the Chinese Tibet Song and Dance Ensemble with 50 members led by Zhu Liu visited Nepal. His Majesty the King and the Queen viewed the first show in Kathmandu and met with the performers. The troupe presented 26 performances in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan for the period of one month with the numbers of the audience reaching 125,000.

* From April to May in 1965, the Chinese Acrobatics Troupe led by Mr. Guo Baozhong visited Nepal.

* From Sep to Oct in 1965, the Nepalese cultural delegation with 19 members led by the vice director of Radio Nepal, concurrently poet and singer Madan Sharma visited China.

* From the year of 1981 to 1997, the art troupes sent by China to Nepal were as follows: the Central Ensemble, the Inner Mongolian Art Ensemble, Ningxia Art Troupe, Wuhan Acrobatics Troupe, Anhui Acrobatics Troupe, Jiangxi Acrobatics Troupe, Yinchuan Acrobatics Troupe, Tianjin Acrobatics Troupe.

* In 1985 and 1988, the Nepalese Ensemble and the Ensemble of Royal Nepalese Academy visited China successively and presented the performances in Beijing, Dalian, Guangzhou and Lhasa.

* From Sep of 1986 to Apr of 1987, Chinese dancers Zhao Shizhong and Gao Liting made an artistic investigation in Nepal.

* In Sep of 1995, the Art Troupe of Nepal visited Tibet.

* In 1999, Gansu Acrobatics Troupe of China visited Nepal.

* On Aug. 19-31 in 2000, Art Troupe of Nepal with 30 members visited China for the celebration of the 45th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between China and Nepal.

* In Sep of 2000, Heilongjiang Art Troupe of China with 30 members visited Nepal for the celebration of the 45th Anniversary of the establishment of the formal diplomatic relations between China and Nepal.

* From March 5 to 9 in 2001, the art troupe from Royal Nepal Academy visited Hongkong.

* From Apr. 19 to 22 in 2001, a Nepalese musical group attended "Meeting in Beijing" International Art Festival.

Plastic Art

* In the 1950s, Nepal-China Friendship Association and related organizations of Nepal held Chinese art exhibitions for many times, of which the important ones were as follows: The exhibition of Chinese Buddhism and art of Buddhism, the exhibition of Chinese stamps, Chinese photo and publication exhibition, the exhibition of Chinese paintings.

* In Aug of 1956, the exhibition of Chinese Buddhism and the Art of Buddhism was held in Kathmandu.

* In Sep of 1962, the exhibition of Chinese paintings was held in Kathmandu. There were approximately 100 prints and Chinese traditional paintings by the contemporary painters from Zhejiang province of China. Vice president of council of ministers of Nepal and concurrently foreign minister Gili and Minister of Education Bista attended the Inauguration ceremony.

* In June of 1963, Ministry of Education of Nepal held the exhibition of Asian paintings for celebrating the 44th Birthday of His Majesty the King. 7 masterpieces by Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi and other Chinese artists were displayed on the exhibition.

* From 1980 to 1987, China had conducted the exhibitions of Children's Drawings of China, prints of China, Chinese Traditional Paintings, Chinese New Year pictures, Chinese Handicrafts and Hanging Panels, the paintings by Yang Zhiguang, Zhao Xucheng and Jin Jiezhong.

* In 1985, the Chinese Handicrafts Delegation visited Nepal.

* From Dec of 1987 to Jan of 1988, Sun Shaoqun and Liu Shaoxiang from Hubei Academy of Fine Arts made an artistic investigation in Nepal.

* In 1990, the delegation of Nepal National Museum visited China.

* In Nov of 1992, Nepal Photographers' Society held a photo exhibition in China.

* On May 15-25 of 2000, Nepal Artists' Association held a Nepalese Paintings Exhibition in Lhasa at the invitation of Artists' Society of Tibet.

* In Sep of 2000, "West Development of China" photo exhibition co-organized by the Chinese Embassy and the Arniko Society of Nepal was held in Kathmandu.

* In Dec of 2000, the Chinese Embassy and Nepal-China Society of Nepal cosponsored the photo exhibition "A Glimpse of China's Development" in Dharan.

* From Feb. 28 to Mar. 6 in 2001, the photo exhibition "Focus on China" was jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy and the World Culture Net of Nepal.

* In May of 2001, the photo exhibition "One Day in Lhasa" organized by Arniko Society of Nepal in cooperation with the Chinese Embassy was held in Kathmandu.

* On Oct. 1 in 2001, "Photo Album of The P.R. China" exhibition organized by the Chinese Embassy was held in Soaltee Hotel in Kathmandu.

* From Dec. 2-4 in 2001, "World Heritage in China" photo exhibition organized by the Chinese Embassy in cooperation with Arniko Society of Nepal was held in the International Convention Center in Kathmandu.

Film and Media

* In June of 1961, Chinese Film Week was held in Kathmandu. More than 1000 celebrities in all walks of life attended the inauguration ceremony, including His Majesty the King Mahendra and the Queen, Minister of Health, Law, Jurisdiction and Parliament Affairs Anirudra Prasad Singh. Altogether 8 movies were screened in the Film Week such as "Lin Zexu", "Lotus Lantern" and so on.

* On Apr. 9 in 1964, the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Shijie, on behalf of Chinese vice president Liu Shaoqi, presented the King and the Queen of Nepal with a color documentary film. The documentary recorded in details the experience of the King and the Queen of Nepal when they visited China in Oct of 1963.

* In 1979, Nepal China Friendship Association and Nepal- China Cultural Council co-sponsored Chinese Film Festival in Kathmandu.

* In 1983, Chinese Film Week sponsored by Royal Nepal Film Corporation was held in Nepal, and during the Film Week 8 feature films and documentaries were screened. The Chinese Film Delegation came to Nepal and attended the program.

* In Sep of 1991, a 9-member delegation of Nepal journalists visited China.

*From Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 in 1993, at the invitation of Radio Nepal, a 5-member delegation from China Radio International visited Nepal. The Prime Minister of Nepal Koirala received the delegation.

* From Aug. 8 to 15 in 1995, a 7-member delegation of Nepal journalists visited Tibet.

* From Aug. 22 to 31 in 1995, a 5-member delegation of Nepal Journalists Association visited China.

* In Apr of 1996, a 7-member delegation of Nepal Editors' Society visited China.

*From Jun. 30 - Jul. 6 in 1996, at the invitation of Nepal Journalists Association, a 5-member Chinese Press Delegation visited Nepal.

*In August of 1996, a 7-member publication delegation from China visited Nepal at the invitation of the Editors' Society of Nepal.

* In Jun of 1997, a 7-member delegation of Nepal Journalists Association visited China.

* From Oct. 17 to 26 in 1997, a 7-member delegation of Nepal Editors' Society visited China at the invitation of Administration of Press and Publication of the P.R. China.

*From 4-10 of September in 1998, a 7-member press delegation from China visited Nepal at the invitation of the Journalists Association of Nepal.

*From Nov.17-26 in 1998, a 7-member delegation from the Administration of Press and Publication of China visited Nepal at the invitation of the Editors' Society of Nepal.

* From Oct.6 to 17 in 1999, an 8-member delegation of Editors' Society of Nepal visited China.

*From Oct. 31 - Nov. 9 in 1999, a 7-member delegation from the Federation of Nepalese Journalists visited China at the invitation of All China Journalists Association.

*From Dec. 22-30 in 1999, a 17-member shooting group from Phoenix TV of Hong Kong visited Nepal for producing " The Journey To Millennium" TV program.

*From Sep.5-14 in 2000, a 5-member delegation from the Administration of Press and Publication of China visited Nepal at the invitation of the Editors' Society of Nepal.

* On March 5-6 in 2001, a Hongkong shooting team led by Mr. Peng Liwei visited Nepal.

* On March 20-21 in 2001, a group from Hongkong visited Nepal for shooting the movie "Everyday Is Valentine".

* From April 5 to 12 in 2001, a delegation from All China Journalists Association visited Nepal at the invitation of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists.

* From May 31 to Jun.4 of 2001, a 5-member delegation from CRI visited Nepal for distributing prizes to the local listeners.

* From Jul. 10 to 17 in 2001, a delegation of Nepal Gorkhapatra Corporation visited Tibet.

* From Aug. 10 to 18 in 2001, a 3-member shooting team from Nepal Television visited Tibet.

* From Sep. 11 to 23 in 2001, a delegation of the Editors' Society of Nepal visited China.

* In September of 2001, two journalists from CCTV visited Nepal for shooting a documentary.

Education

* From 1979 to 1992, the Chinese government had provided 226 seats of scholarship for Nepalese students. The Nepalese government had granted 20 Chinese students with scholarship.

* From 1993-2001, the Chinese government had provided 200 scholarship seats for Nepalese students. The Nepalese government had granted 16 seats to Chinese students.

* On Dec. 4-7 of 1989, vice minister of National Education Commission of China Zhu Kaixuan led a 5-member education delegation to visit Nepal.

* On Apr. 13-17 of 1999, vice Minister of Education of China Wei Yu led a 5-member education delegation to visit Nepal.

* From February of 2000 to February of 2002, Chinese language teacher Zhao Juyuan taught Chinese language in the Campus of International Languages in Kathmandu.

* In Dec of 2001, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Mr. Wu Congyong visited the Campus of International Languages in Kathmandu and presented the campus chief with books and DVDs on China as gifts.

Literature and Publication

* In 1952, books on Chinese literature and social science translated into Nepali and published in Nepal were as follows: "On Practice" and "Opposing Liberalism" ( translator: Bhattarai Narayan Shresta ), play script "Qu Yuan" by Guo Moruo ( translator: Devendra Raj Upadhya ), "Significance of Chinese Revolution Worldwide" by Lu Dingyi ( translator: Narayan Govinda Bediya ).

* In 1953, books on China and China-Nepal relations published in Nepal were as follows: "History of Struggle of Chinese People" by the Nepalese famous writer Govinda Pradhan Lohani, " China Today" and "Relationship between Nepal and China and China's Tibet" by the famous historian Babu Ram Acharya, " Tibet - An Inseparable Part of China" by member of parliament of Kathmandu professor Manik Lal, " Essentials of Chinese History and Nepal-China Relations" by Narendra Sharma and " A Glimpse of Chinese History" by Mohan Bikram Singh.

* In June of 1963, Chinese writer, deputy chief editor of People's Literature Press of China Zheng Xiaoxun visited Nepal. At the invitation of Nepalese literature organizations, he attended the literature conference of Nepal as the observer of the Writers' Association of China and addressed on the occasion.

* In 1979, Nepal-China Friendship Association and Nepal-China Cultural Council cosponsored the exhibition of Chinese books in Kathmandu.

* In 1982, the well-known Chinese poet Zou Difan was invited to attend the celebrating ceremony on the occasion of 25th Anniversary of the founding of Royal Nepal Academy and was received by His Majesty the King Birendara and the Queen.