BAFTA commemorates UK state visit of China president Xi Jinping

His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge, president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, presented a BAFTA gift to Xi Jinping, president of the People’s Republic of China, at Lancaster House, London, during the official state visit by the Chinese leader in October.

The gift – an original artwork from the BAFTA archive revealing the heart of BAFTA’s historic headquarters in London – symbolises the spirit of open, creative collaboration that BAFTA promotes between the UK and China, and commemorates 2015 as the UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange.

Amanda Berry OBE, chief executive of BAFTA, guided president Xi Jinping and HRH The Duke of Cambridge through the showcase, during which BAFTA screened a short film highlighting its on-going work in China and staged a performance by BAFTA scholarship recipient Wan Pin Chu, a composer from Hong Kong, who performed British and Chinese music on the erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument.

Berry said, “I was delighted with our involvement and to be part of President Xi Jinping’s State Visit to the UK. The event showcased the range of creative excellence in the UK while recognising China’s significant contribution to the arts.

“BAFTA encourages creative and cultural exchange, and we’ve already begun this work by investing in new talent and laying foundations for future collaboration through initiatives and events in mainland China and Hong Kong.

The Duke of Cambridge is a supporter BAFTA’s work in China, helping the organisation to forge stronger links with creative talent in the country. In March this year, he donated a replica BAFTA award on the Academy’s behalf to the Shanghai Film Museum during the Great Festival of Creativity in Shanghai, and helped launch BAFTA’s latest scholarship scheme for students studying in mainland China and Hong Kong, which opens for applications in 2016.

BAFTA has been working with partners in China to deliver masterclasses and workshops since 2013, featuring award-winning filmmakers, actors and craftspeople including Johnnie To, Zhang Yimou, Duncan Kenworthy, Eddie Redmayne and Lois Burwell. BAFTA-nominated hair and make-up designer Naomi Donne (Chocolat, Skyfall, SPECTRE) discussed her craft at masterclasses with Mac Cosmetics in Hong Kong and Beijing, BAFTA’s first event in China’s capital city. Actor Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Paddington) has also attended a fundraising dinner in Hong Kong in support of BAFTA’s charitable activities across Asia and visited secondary school students, discussing his work at special ‘In Conversation’ events.