On September 18th, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming attended the showcase event for the documentary series China's Greatest Treasures, a joint China-UK production, and delivered a speech entitled A Shining New Era for China's Greatest Treasures. More than 70 representatives from the UK government, industry and commerce, culture, education and media sectors were present, including Victoria MacCallum, Head of Policy for the Creative Industries at Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Li Xiangdong, General Manager of CCTV Documentary International Media Co., Ltd. (CDIMC), Jim Egan, Chief Executive Officer of BBC Global News, Charlotte Jones, Creative Director of Mustang Films Ltd and Stephen Perry, Chairman of the 48 Group Club.

Ambassador Liu said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and also the 65th anniversary of China-UK diplomatic relationship at the chargé d'affaires level. In this special year, it is both significant and relevant that the media communities of our two countries join hands to produce the documentary. The production of this documentary has three-fold significance. First, it introduces the Chinese culture. These greatest treasures will also open a window on the Chinese history and culture. Second, this documentary tells the stories of the Chinese nation. The documentary offers a glimpse into the life, joy, sorrow and relentless efforts of the Chinese people through thousands of years. Viewers could begin to understand why and how the time-honoured history is having a profound impact on today's China and China in the future. Third, this documentary promotes exchanges between civilizations. This joint production promotes exchange and mutual learning, and deepens cooperation between our cultural and creative industries. It strengthens our belief that mutual learning is the right way forward, while "clash of civilizations" leads nowhere.

The Ambassador said, "Both China and the UK are great civilizations with time-honoured history and profound culture. This documentary shows that the people of our two countries have the shared yearning for beauty, similar need for mutual understanding, and common pursuit of exchanges and mutual learning. Let's draw strength from our profound cultures and work hand in hand. We will produce more excellent works like China's Greatest Treasures, and make greater contribution to enhancing cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between our two countries and building a closer bond between our two peoples."

Chief Executive Officer Jim Egan said that BBC World News has wide coverage and large audience. It is a perfect platform to present China's Greatest Treasures to the world. He said, "We're delighted to be part of this project and offer our audience rare and unique insights into China's history and artifacts, alongside a compelling and authentic view of the modern day country and its people."

General Manager Li Xiangdong noted that China's Greatest Treasures is a documentary series telling the stories of Chinese cultural and historical relics. It tries to understand modern China and the life of ordinary Chinese people through ancient objects from a global perspective. He believes that, with BBC World News, "this documentary series could bring the interesting stories about China to the world, entertaining people from various culture backgrounds and raising their interest about this traditional yet modern country, making it a creative and well-received way to understand China."

During the event, Fan Zhiyuan, Senior Producer of CCTV Documentary International Media Co., Ltd., Charlotte Jones, Creative Director of Mustang Films Ltd., Jamie Angus, Director of BBC World Service and Alastair Sooke, Presenter of the documentary, shared their experiences during the production process. They expressed their willingness to continue their cooperation and produce more quality works reflecting the connections between the historic and modern China, so as to further promote understanding of China in the world.

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China's Greatest Treasures is a 6-episode documentary series, exploring the history behind some of the most treasured Chinese artifacts, traditions and their connection to modern China. Each episode looks into themes such as family, art, city, manufacturing, science and technology and food. It follows noted British art critic and presenter Alastair Sooke as he travels through modern China accessing some of the country's most prestigious museums, exploring precious objects traced back to thousands of years, experiencing the Chinese culture and tradition passed on from generation to generation and the spiritual strength of the Chinese society and Chinese people. China's Greatest Treasures will be aired on BBC World News to audience more than 200 countries.