An official Chinese delegation, headed by National Museum of China (NMC) Deputy Director Dong Qi along with his entourage, visited Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage) here at Shakaparian. The other members of the delegation included Hao Yinxiang, Ms Tong Chunyan, Ms Li Yan and Ms Xia Meifang from NMC.
On arrival, senior officials of the heritage museum warmly received the distinguished guests. The delegation members were briefed about working of the museum. The Chinese delegation was then taken around various three-dimensional creative displays at the Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology (Heritage Museum) spreading over 60,000 square feet of area, portraying living cultural traditions and lifestyles of the people of Pakistan depicted in dioramas and cultural displays.
The members of the visiting delegation took keen interest in the museum hall depicting cultural affinities and link passage with People’s Republic of China presenting artifacts contributed by the Chinese government as a gift to the people of Pakistan. They were also extremely happy to see the ‘hall of silk thread’ and Chinese contribution towards Karakorum highway in Pakistan reflected on the wall of the ‘link passage with China’.
Later, the Chinese delegation held a meeting with Lok Virsa Executive Director Khalid Javaid, who briefed them about the salient features of Pakistan’s cultural heritage with special reference to the mandate of Lok Virsa as a specialised national organisation. He also threw light on the significance of Pakistan’s centuries-old cultural relations with China.
Khalid Javed briefed the delegation in detail about the functioning and role of Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage) as a leading cultural institution under the public sector dealing with documentation, preservation and dissemination of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Pakistan with an extensive network of community-based organisations, regional associations, NGOs, intellectuals, researchers, folk artists, master artisans and above all the citizens of the country. Dong Qi thanked Lok Virsa for chalking out a well-conceived programme for their visit. He termed this visit fruitful in strengthening friendly and brotherly relations between both the countries. The members of the delegation said that Lok Virsa Heritage Museum not only presented the rich culture and traditions of Pakistani people but also gave visitors an overview about the country’s cultural influences with other neighbouring countries, including China and Central Asian states.
