International Garden Festival Kicks off in Beijing
　　The second Beijing International Garden Festival opened on April 28 at the Beijing Expo Park， where the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition was held in 2019.
　　This year’s festival spans a total area of approximately 60，000 square meters featuring exhibitions of floral arts and potted plants as well as garden design contests.
　　A total of 30 gardens created by domestic and overseas designers are on display at the event， which will run through October 15.
　　“We hope to offer immersive experiences for visitors attending this year’s festival so that they can enjoy the beauty of nature and horticulture here，”said Yang Yongjie， director of Beijing Shiyuan Investment Development Co.， Ltd.， the operator of the expo park.
　　In addition to building the brand for the Beijing International Garden Festival， Beijing Expo Park is also vigorously promoting activities related to music， sports， research， health care， and other industries in order to realize the efficient use of the park， improve people’s ecological awareness， and other functions to better serve citizens and tourists.
　　My China Story International Short Video Competition Opens in Beijing
　　An international competition for short video creators was launched in Beijing on May 11 and is calling for short video submissions telling stories about China.
　　It is the third year of the My China Story International Short Video Competition， which is categorized into three sections this year. A new section awards short video creators using their smartphones.
　　The 2021 event was organized by the China International Publishing Group and sponsored by the Guangdong provincial government.
　　The competition offers a platform for foreigners to share from their personal experience what they have seen and discovered in China， said Huang Huilin， an expert on international communication from the Beijing Normal University.
　　“Personal stories can be appealing and serve as an effective tool of communication，” Huang said.
　　Aiming to inspire international short video creators to record a panoramic view of China， the first session of the competition was inaugurated in September 2018. It received over 400，000 submissions in 2020.
　　Sino-French Cultural Exchange Festival Kicks off in Beijing
　　A Sino-French cultural exchange festival kicked off on April 21. Known as “Festival Croisements，” the festival， which runs through July 31， stages 78 cultural events featuring a series of artistic and cultural exchanges between the two countries in 14 cities across China. 　　The festival was suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reopening of the festival in 2021 bears a special meaning， said France’s Ambassador to China Laurent Bili.
　　The unique and diversified activities demonstrate the tremendous creativity of the two peoples and their strong desire to communicate with each other， the ambassador said.
　　Cultural activities will be held with a special focus on such fields as visual arts， operas， films， dances， and books. This year， the festival starts to seek communication in the fashion industry. A fashion show will be held in Shenzhen， an economic hub in south China’s Guangdong Province， with designers from both countries cooperating under the theme of sustainable fashion.
　　Chinese actor Jin Dong， actress Tong Liya， and designer Shangguan Zhe are the “ambassadors” of this year’s festival.


　　Raphael-Themed Exhibition Opens in Shenzhen
　　An exhibition highlighting the works of Italian painter Raphael opened on April 29 in Shenzhen’s Nanshan Museum in south China’s Guangdong Province.
　　A total of 68 artwork masterpieces， including 39 original pieces by Raphael and several other Italian artists， are on display at the exhibition titled “Raphael and the Classical Canon.”
　　The two-month exhibition featuring oil paintings， frescoes， sculptures， and digital reproductions highlights Raphael’s artistic growth and style， master works that have an impact on his classical beauty， and his influence on artists of later generations， and also illustrates the classical artistic principles established by the Renaissance master.
　　Lucia Pasqualini， consul general of Italy in Guangzhou， said that 2020 marked the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death， but many commemorative events had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the exhibition marks a new start， as well as the restart of further cultural exchanges between the two countries.