Savour Australia
The people of southwest China have the chance to experience the best Australia has to offer as part of an exciting program of events over the next month. Savour Australia will showcase Australia’s excellence in fields spanning the performing and visual arts, film, tourism, education, sport, and trade and investment. “This is a celebration of Australian culture, innovation and diversity, which I can’t wait to share with the people of southwest China,” Nancy Gordon, Australia’s Consul-General in Chengdu, said. “No matter how well you think you know Australia, I’m sure you’ll discover something new.”
The Black Cockatoo Dance Company – performing at our opening events in both Chengdu and Chongqing – will highlight Australia’s ancient Indigenous culture with performances that fuse the unique sounds of the didgeridoo with the drums of the Torres Strait Islands.
The month-long program will include a series of exhibitions such as Canning Stock Route that provides a unique window on the desert landscape of Western Australia, the Chungking Legation which tells the story of Australia’s first diplomatic mission in China, and Mad.Lab’s display on sustainable urban design. The best images from the Consulate’s Give it Your Best Shot sister-city photograph competition will also be on display, including the winning entry by Chongqing photographer Luo Xing. Australian artist Lisa Roet will bring her cutting-edge works to Chengdu with an installation on the endangered snub nose monkey at Temple House, one of Chengdu’s iconic modern landmarks.
The Australian Innovation Roundtable will see sizzling discussion between Chengdu’s and Australia’s best and brightest entrepreneurs, in the funky surrounds of co-working space Walnut. Movie fans will be able to enjoy popular Australian films Paper Planes, a story about a young boy’s passion for flight, and Red Dog, a tale of man’s special bond with animals. Savour Australia will encourage the free flow of ideas on sustainable development and building cultural understanding at forums to be held at Xihua University and Chongqing University. Both will be chaired by visiting Australian academic Professor Greg McCarthy.
Savour Australia events will be open to the public and free to attend. In Chongqing, the events also form part of the 2016 Chongqing and the World Cultural Carnival. “I hope the people of Chengdu and Chongqing grab this opportunity to savour the very best Australia has to offer,” Ms Gordon said.
Chongqing program
Chengdu program
