It is a great world in Great World
Some members of the International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council, a global think-tank for the mayor of Shanghai, have a light moment yesterday during a visit to the Great World Amusement Center in Shanghai, which exhibits both domestic and foreign intangible cultural heritage and was re-opened in March.
Shanghai’s future lies in what the city was in the past and what it is today, as the spirit of a place is rooted in tradition and then evolves, some members of the International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council said today during a visit in the Great World Amusement Center, which exhibits both domestic and foreign intangible cultural heritage and was reopened in March after a major decoration.
“It is great to witness such marvelous traditional culture,” Severin Schwan, chief executive officer of Roche Group, said after observing how artists of Peking opera made up for the performance. “The traditional culture is of huge value, because it defines the spirit of a place and decides how it grows.”
Schwan said it was the first time for him to see such traditional Chinese culture, and it reminded him of last year’s visit of the Shanghai International Dance Center, which demonstrated the modern facet of the city -- and it created a “fantastic” comparison.
During the visit, IBLAC members had a light moment when they heard traditional Chinese operas in different dialects, had fun with local children when playing nostalgic games only known in Shanghai, and received gifts of Chinese folk artists in the Great World, a landmark city building in Huangpu District.
Chief Executive Officer of Roche Group Severin Schwan practices picking up glass balls with chopsticks, which is a nostalgic local game.
CEO of ABB Ulrich Spiesshofer poses for a craftsman who is making him a profile silhouette.
“It is incredible,” said Ulrich Spiesshofer, CEO of ABB Group, when a craftsman demonstrated the art of paper-cutting and made him a profile silhouette within just a few minutes.
The off-site event in the Great World was a prelude to tomorrow’s meeting, where members of IBLAC, all of whom are leaders of major global corporations, will share their input on the future of Shanghai with Mayor Ying Yong.
The theme of this year’s meeting is “Towards a Global City of Excellence.”
