The opening ceremony of "Beijing Week" at 2015 Milan Expo was held at the China Pavilion on May 30th. Officials from China and Italy including Wang Jinzhen, Chief Representative of the Chinese government on 2015 Milan Expo and Vice Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Wang Dong, Consul General Consulate General of China in Milan, Stefano Gatti, general manager of exhibition department of the Expo and curator of National Museum of Italy and Li Wei, Secretary-General of Beijing Municipal Government, delivered speeches at the ceremony. More than 160 distinguished guests attended the celebration.
Beijing holds a series of events including "Beijing Week" at the Milan Expo in order to highlight history, culture and development achievements of Beijing. The city also expects to improve its international influence, to promote friendly exchanges, and cooperation in economic, trade and cultural areas.
It is an important opportunity for Beijing to show the world its historical resources and modern vitality through the Milan Expo, a multilateral international platform after the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Li Wei, Secretary-general of Beijing Municipal Government says that the events in "Beijing Week" could help people from different countries to deepen understanding of Chinese traditional culture and Beijing urban development, which will strengthen the friendship among people from all over the world.
A special issue for CINITALIA, an official journal co-founded by Italian Service of China Radio International and Education Center of Italy, was launched on the opening ceremony. Providing Chinese and Italian people an insight into the Beijing, this bilingual magazine was presented to Li Wei, Secretary-general of Beijing Municipal Government by Giovanni Cubeddu, Italian editor-in-chief of CINITALIA.
During the "Beijing week", there are a variety of events including the large-scale theatrical performance of "Beijing Night", artistic performances, make-up parade, live shows and intangible cultural heritage exhibition. The audiences could also visit a photo exhibition of "Charming Beijing, Passion for Winter Olympics", which is organized by Beijing Municipal Government and China Radio International.