Beijing, China – The Philippine bamboo and rattan were featured in a day-long event at the Beijing International Horticultural Expo 2019, the Philippine Embassy in Beijing reported.
Entitled “Mga Biyaya ng Kawayan at Ratan: A Philippine Cultural Event,” the event was held on 21 September 2019 at the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) Pavilion situated inside the Expo grounds.
With the Expo open to the public for a six-month duration and the INBAR Pavilion available for use by member countries, the activity was an opportunity to present the country’s unique and exciting applications of bamboo and rattan. It was also a chance to introduce to the Chinese audience the Department of Tourism’s campaign on “Farm Tourism.”
Ambassador to China Jose Santiago L. Sta. Romana was joined by Consul General Dinno M. Oblena and other Embassy officials and staff, along with members of the Filipino community during the occasion. INBAR Director-General Ali Mchumo served as the guest of honor.
Ambassador Sta. Romana, in his welcome remarks, highlighted the close link between bamboo and rattan with Philippine culture and the Filipino way of life. He noted, for instance, that bamboo is richly incorporated in Philippine folk dances, such as the “Tinikling”, while rattan is a necessary implement in the Filipino martial art called “Arnis”.
Director-General Mchumo, for his part, thanked the Embassy for choosing the INBAR Pavilion as the venue for the event. He also highlighted the country’s active role in propagating the widespread use of bamboo and rattan, noting the Philippines’ successful hosting of the ASEAN Bamboo Congress in Iloilo City on 12-16 August 2019.
After the remarks of the senior officials, a series of audio-visual presentations introduced the Department of Tourism (DOT) on-going program on “Farm Tourism”. A group of Filipino students on scholarship in Beijing then performed the Philippine traditional dances Tinikling and Maskara. This was followed by a demonstration of the Arnis by the members of Balintawak Kali China.
The video presentation, dance performances, and martial arts demonstrations were repeated in the afternoon before a different set of Expo goers. The Embassy collaborated closely with the DOT-Beijing office, the Office of the Agricultural Counselor (OAC), and the INBAR Secretariat in making the event a reality.
The Beijing International Horticultural Expo 2019 is among the most important events in Beijing for the year and is one of the largest horticultural exhibitions in the world. Since its opening to the public on 29 April 2019, it has already drawn millions of visitors to the 503-hectare Expo park in Yanqing District, located 74 kilometers outside of Beijing. The Expo will end on 07 October 2019.
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For more information, visit https://www.beijingpe.dfa.gov.ph.
