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President's Committee and Federal Cultural Partners Expand Ties with China

PCAH Chairman Adair Margo and Cai Wu, the new Minister of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, expanded cultural relations between the two countries with several new accords during PCAH’s 64th meeting.
PCAH Chairman Adair Margo and Cai Wu, the new Minister of Culture of the People's Republic of China, expanded cultural relations between the two countries with several new accords during PCAH's 64th meeting.

Chairman Adair Margo, Chairman of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH), welcomed the new Minister of Culture from the People's Republic of China, Cai Wu, to the U.S. in mid-November. Following up on the successful cultural delegation Margo led to China in 2007, Minister Cai Wu began his visit with the PCAH's Coming Up Taller award ceremony at the White House. This is the second year China has participated in the Coming Up Taller program and Minister Cai Wu joined Mrs. Laura Bush in presenting an award to the Shaanxi Qin Qiang Opera .Two days later, Chairman Margo and the Minister met with James Billington, Librarian of Congress; National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Bruce Cole; Mary Chute, Deputy Director of Libraries, Institute of Museum and Library Services; and Eileen Mason, Deputy Director, National Endowment for the Arts and other members of the President's Committee to cement new ties between U.S. cultural agencies and China through the signing of several accords as part of the President's Committee 64th meeting.

National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Bruce Cole and Li Dongwen, Director General, Bureau for External Cultural Relations, People's Republic of China, sign an accord that will support conferences and the exchange of scholars.

“Arts and humanities have a fundamental role in breaking down barriers of understanding between countries,” says Adair Margo, PCAH Chairman. “The legacy of the President’s Committee under the leadership of our Honorary Chairman Mrs. Laura Bush has been to focus attention on, and honor, the rich cultural traditions of Mexico, China and other nations by building bridges of cultural understanding.”

(Top) IMLS Deputy Director Mary Chute and Li Dongwen, Director General, Bureau for External Cultural Relations, sign an historic accord that will facilitate the exchange of best practices in libraries and museums. On the right, the World Digital Library takes a step closer to reality with Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington and Zhan Furui, President of the National Library of China, which now joins this initiative as a founding member.
(Top) IMLS Deputy Director Mary Chute and Li Dongwen, Director General, Bureau for External Cultural Relations, sign an historic accord that will facilitate the exchange of best practices in libraries and museums. (Below) The World Digital Library takes a step closer to reality with Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington and Zhan Furui, President of the National Library of China, which now joins this initiative as a founding member.




In addition to Minister Cai Wu, Alejandra de la Paz, the new Director of the Mexican Cultural Institute, spoke to the President's Committee on behalf of the Mexican Ambassador to the U.S., Arturo Sarukhan. Last year Ambassador Sarukhan presented Chairman Margo with the Order of the Aztec Eagle, which is Mexico's highest award to a non-Mexican citizen for her role in strengthening the cultural ties between the two countries. The presence of high-level Chinese and Mexican representatives at the PCAH meeting reflects the President's Committee's commitment to broadening cross-cultural connections between the U.S. and other nations. Over the last eight years, this President's Committee has focused on bringing together the U.S. cultural agencies –NEA, NEH, IMLS—and their counterparts in Mexico and China to develop new cultural programs and relationships that have been supported by four cultural accords signed during this period.