Your Excellencies;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

It is a distinct pleasure to welcome you all at this event: Traditional Arts Across Civilizations: Turkish Ebru Art and Chinese Murals Exhibition.

Türkiye and China are two ancient civilizations, each with a deep-rooted history and civilization.

For centuries, the Silk Road was the main route which connected our ancestors in exchanging envoys, merchants and gifts.

This centuries-long trade relations along the ancient Silk Road also contributed immensely to the close cultural interaction between the Turkish and Chinese peoples.

Today, this connectivity is strengthened under the great vision of our leaders, H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and H.E. Xi Jinping. We witness development of our bilateral relations in every field.

As we are celebrating the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and China, we also wish to enhance cultural exchanges and people to people interactions.

Dear Guests,
Art is a universal language. It connects peoples and cultures. Therefore, this exhibition stands as a cultural reflection of two ancient civilizations.
Ebru, also known as marbling paper art, is a centuries-old traditional painting technique of Turkish culture. It was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014.
Ebru artists have the responsibility of transmitting their specialized knowledge from one generation to another mainly in a master and apprentice relationship.
In this regard, I wish to thank the two artists of this exhibition: Ms. Özlem Çopur, Ebru Artist recognized by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ms. Yan Jiehong, Mixed Media Artist. Their individual and collective art pieces not only symbolize the rich and profound heritages, but also the deep friendship between our countries.
I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the preparation of this event: our Office of Culture and Promotion, JinShang Yuan and Sultan Mado Restaurant.

Thank you,