So Close - So Beautiful - Welcome to Hebei A Culturе Аnd Tourism Promotion Programme Оf the Hebei Province Has Been Held at the Sofia Confucius Institute

On 4th December 2024, the Department For Culture And Tourism Of the Hebei Province, the Chinese Cultural Centre in Sofia and the Confucius Institute in Sofia have jointly hosted the ‘So Close - So Beautiful - Welcome to Hebei’ culture and tourism promotion event dedicated to the Hebei Province of China. Mr Li Xinjie - deputy Director of the Department For Culture And Tourism of the Hebei Province, Mr Guan Xin - Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, Mrs Iva Trifonova - Councillor to the Minister of Tourism of Bulgaria, Mr Martin Zahariev – General director of the Bulgarian Tourism Association, Mr Hong Hai - Director of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Sofia, Mrs Aksiniya Koleva – the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Prof. Chen Ying – the Chinese director of CIS, and nearly 200 guests from Chinese and Bulgarian cultural and tourism circles, as well as local people, have attended the event.
Mr Li Xinjie has said in his speech that the Hebei province in China has rich and varied natural landscape and cultural heritage resources. He has stressed on his anticipation for the deepening of the mutual understanding between the two peoples through cultural and touristic cooperation. Mrs Iva Trifonova has read out a congratulatory letter on behalf of and from Mr Evtim Miloshev - the Bulgarian Minister of Tourism, expressing his hope that culture and tourism will be used as a link to create more opportunities for the exchanges between China and Bulgaria on the basis of respect for each other's cultures. Mr Guan Xin has welcomed the Hebei Provincial Culture and Tourism Delegation and has encouraged more Bulgarian friends to visit Hebei and experience its unique charm.
The culture and tourism promotion session has showcased Hebei's natural scenery, history and culture, and has introduced a series of preferential policies for tourists and travel agents. The Department for Culture and Tourism of the Hebei Province also awarded a plaque to the Sofia Hebei Culture and Tourism Promotion Centre to the organisers. Afterwards, the Hebei delegation have presented a wonderful acrobatic performance, including bamboo stick juggling, spinning discs acrobatics, acrobatic performance with umbrellas, magic tricks, traditonal music performance with suona and other art forms, combining performance skills with dance and music, and winning the audience's warm applause.
The event was reported by Xinhua News Agency, the Sohu Chinese web portal and other media.

The Confucius Institute in Sofia
Text：Chen Chen
Photos：Biliana Isaeva
Editos：Prof. Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva
English translation: Maya Kostadinova

Picture 1. Mr Li Xinjie - deputy Director General of the Hebei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism delivering his speech.

Picture 2. Mrs Iva Trifonova - Councillor to the Minister of Tourism of Bulgaria delivering her speech.

Picture 3. Mr Guan Xin - Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria delivering his speech.

Picture 4. Acrobatic performance with umbrellas

Picture 5. Acrobatic performance with drums

Picture 6. The audience

Picture 7. A group photo