Museums from China and Australia Agree to Deepen Cooperation

The National Art Museum of China （NAMOC） and the National Museum of Australia（NMA） signed a letter of intent for cooperation over the next five years on July 5.

“The people of China and Australia can deepen their understanding of each other and promote friendship through cooperation and exchanges between the two museums，”said Wu Weishan， curator of the NAMOC.

Matheu Trinca， director of the NMA， said the letter of intent would further relations between the two museums.

Macao Holds Cultural Forum between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries

The cultural forum between China and Portuguese-speaking countries kicked off in Chinas Macao Special Administrative Region （SAR） on July 7 under the theme of cultural diversity.

Delegates and specialists from China and eight Portuguesespeaking countries， including Portugal and Brazil， attended the forum.

Alexis Tam Chon Weng， secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR government， said at the opening ceremony that the forum served as a platform for enhancing cultural exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries， as well as promoting cooperation in trade， tourism， and investment.

The forum is also one of the highlights of the first edition of the “Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.”

Chinas Mount Fanjing added to the UNESCO World Heritage List

Mount Fanjing， situated in Chinas southwestern province of Guizhou， was added to the World Heritage List on July 2 at the 42nd World Heritage Committee meeting in Bahrain.

The mountain was chosen due to its aesthetic value as a natural heritage site， which is home to a rich diversity of high quality forests， mountainous scenery， wetlands， waterfalls， as well as a total of 450 vertebrate species， said the International Union for Conservation of Nature（IUCN）， official advisory body on the natural sites of the UNESCO heritage committee.

A total of five natural sites were nominated to the World Heritage List this year.

Living Artwork“Encore Melaka”Debuts in Malaysia

Encore Melaka， an indoor， themed production directed by Chinese director Wang Chaoge， premiered at the Malaysian city of Malacca on the night of July 7. A combination of song， dance， and story-telling， the show features more than 600 years of Malaccas history， which dates back to the ancient Malacca Sultanate.

The audience can not only marvel at the arrival of Chinese navigator Zheng Hes fleet to Malacca， but also feel the cultural richness of the city， such as the daily life of the Baba Nyonya people， who are the descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to the Malay Peninsula.

The show， produced by local cultural and tourism firm Yong Tai， was performed at one of the largest theaters in Southeast Asia. More than 200 performers， the majority of whom were recruited locally， participated in the show.

The show follows the success of other themed productions such as Impression Lijiang and Encore Pingyao， both of which are directed by Wang.

Encore Melaka would make every tourist coming to Malacca be proud of the city and join hands in building bonds of friendship and love， Wang said after the performance.