Denmark is in focus as a knowledge nation as His Royal Highness The Crown Prince Frederik is visiting the Chinese capital Beijing and the southern Chinese city Guangzhou during 23-26 September.
When Denmark entered into a partnership agreement with China in 2008 on research, innovation and education, it was the largest Danish undertaking in education and research outside of the country’s borders. And when Denmark, as the first EU country to do so, entered into cooperation with China earlier this year on a joint tourism year during 2017, The Crown Prince said “yes” to serving as patron.
Therefore knowledge and tourism is in focus during The Crown Prince’s China visit. The Prince of Denmark is accompanied by higher education and science minister Søren Pind during the visit. The four-day-long programme deals with the education, research and innovation collaboration between Denmark and China, Danish environmental solutions, tourism and culture.
On Saturday, in Beijing The Crown Prince watched the kick-off final of the football tournament Sino-Nordic Cup. The Sino-Nordic Cup is an annually recurring Nordic-Chinese football tournament arranged by the Chinese foreign ministry. The tournament has the goal of strengthening the contact and cooperation between China and the Nordic countries including Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
The opening of the exhibition ‘A Royal Modern Household’ followed on that, at The Danish Cultural Center in Beijing’s 798 Arts District. With the help of pictures, the exhibition tells about the restoration of Fredrik VIII’s Palace, which is the Crown Prince Couple’s home.
The Crown Prince then took part in a tour of the Beijing Design Week area. Beijing’s international 798 Arts District is each year the setting for Beijing Design Week’s main events.
In the evening H.E. Ambassador A. Carsten Damsgaard hosted a dinner for Danish companies, organizations and the Danish community in China at the ambassador’s residence in Beijing.
On Sunday 24 September The Crown Prince opened a Danish-Chinese seminar at Tsinghua University, titled ‘Educating the Leaders of Tomorrow – Play, Creativity and Social Values’, which focused on innovation, creativity and lifelong learning.
From the Chinese side, representatives of public authorities and research groups took part, while from the Danish side there were representatives of the LEGO Foundation, sharing their experience and research in the area of children’s learning and creativity.
During his visit at Tsinghua University, The Crown Prince was also shown the research project and the laboratory Tsinghua Life Long Learning Lab (TULLL), which was designed for research into children’s creativity and lifelong learning. The lab was developed in cooperation with the Lego Foundation and, among other things, examines how children can work out specific tasks through various learning methods.
In the afternoon The Crown Prince took part in a kick-start event for Copenhagen as a guest city at Beijing Design Week 2018. At the event, The Crown Prince got the opportunity to visit an exhibition that focuses on ‘Danish Living’ and green solutions in large Danish cities.
The day ended with dinner at the Danish restaurant The George arranged by the Danish Industry Foundation and the City of Copenhagen.
The programme for Monday starts with the opening of the Danish Industry Foundation House, which will be the home of the Sino-Danish Center for Research and Education. Here, The Crown Prince will, among other things, be shown the new building with a focus on its functionality and architecture. Afterwards, The Crown Prince takes part in the opening ceremony in the building’s open common area.
HM The Queen broke the first ground for the Danish Industry Foundation House at a ceremony in 2014. The Sino-Danish Center for Research and Education is a collaborative effort between the eight Danish universities and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In the afternoon The Crown Prince takes part in the Sino-Danish Center’s ‘SDC Inauguration Great Wall Run – Joining Forces for a Healthy Future’ on the Great Wall of China. Together with current students from the centre, The Crown Prince will run with the goal of focusing on the health of children and young people in China. The run is arranged in cooperation between, among others, the Danish Center for Research and Education and Novo Nordisk.
In the evening The Crown Prince participates in the official banquet arranged by UCAS on the occasion of the opening the Danish Industry Foundation House at Yangihu University.
On Tuesday the Royal visit to China continues to Guangzhou, where The Crown Prince pays a visit to the historical area Changzhou Island, which among other things houses a historic graveyard for Danish sailors and merchants. HRH will lay flowers at three named Danish gravesites and get a guided tour focusing on Danish-Chinese maritime history.
Changzhou Island was once known as ‘Danes Island’ and functioned as a base for Danes in connection with the trade in China. Today, the island is a symbol of how Denmark was a seafaring nation with strong ties to China.
In the late afternoon The Crown Prince takes part in the event ‘Denmark Days – Adventures of Denmark’, which is one of the activities taking place in China as part of the Danish-Chinese Tourism Year. At the event, The Crown Prince will, among other things, name the winner of ECCO’s Walkathon and launch a H.C. Andersen signature route together with Visit Denmark. The event takes place in the historic Guangzhou city centre, where Danish tourism companies are currently promoting Danish destinations to Chinese tourists.
As a conclusion to the visit, The Crown Prince will be present at networking event at Hotel White Swan, where Danish companies, tour operators and others will participate.
