China - UK: Connections through Culture (CtC) is a joint initiative between the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the British Council with support from the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government. It aims to further develop cultural co-operation between the UK and China with a view to improving overall relations, including diplomatic and trade ties, between the two countries.
The programme seeks to position the UK as a uniquely valued cultural partner of China. It will support cultural organisations in both countries to build understanding of and links with partner organisations, leading to increased exchange of cultural product between China and the United Kingdom. This will be achieved through information provision, networking opportunities, assistance with brokering relationships, promotional support and professional development opportunities.
Hong Kong organisations are also keen to develop closer links with the mainland, and CtC will play an important role in setting up three-way relationships, using the Hong Kong institutions experience to assist their mainland counterparts to work more closely with the UK. The result will be stronger ties between Hong Kong and mainland organisations, and more projects from the UK that are cost-effective because partners are able to stage them in Hong Kong and the mainland.
The initial phase of the project will run from April 2006 to March 2009 but we expect to see significant projects resulting from the programme until at least 2012. As well as offering a means of multiplying the number of links rapidly over the next five years, there is a particular objective to facilitate quality projects organised between UK and Chinese partners, to form important elements of the cultural presence at the Beijing and London Olympics, Liverpool European Capital of Culture in 2008 and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.
An important initial part of the programme was to commission a needs analysis exercise to consult potential beneficiaries in the UK and China to identify the opportunities for building sustainable links between organisations in both countries. 355 cultural organisations from the UK, Mainland China and Hong Kong took part in the survey, the results of which have informed the details of the programme as outlined below. Click here to read the full report(in PDF format, file size: 1.17MB).
1.2 Information provision and exchange
Via the Connections website, which brings together a wide variety of useful information including: China and UK government policy and structure; available sources of funding; cultural news including latest trends and rising stars; details of festivals and other opportunities to see work; lists of translators and interpreters and other sources of practical help and solutions to bureaucratic hurdles. The website also contains a searchable database of organisational profiles and interests. All cultural organisations in the UK and China can register on the database to enable potential partner organisations to make contact.
1.3 International networking events
Regular meetings organised around significant cultural events in both countries, bringing together groups of practitioners and policy makers to discuss topics of common interest, share their knowledge and experience and identify potential partners. A full list of events can be found on the back page. Further details on the networking events, including how to register if you want to attend, please click here
A limited number of small grants to enable members of cultural organisations to visit their counterparts in China or the UK for up to 10 days to develop projects, exchange skills or see each other’s work.For further information on how to apply,please click here
1.5 Advisory and brokering support
On the ground knowledge, tailored advice, trouble-shooting and support from specialist staff in-country who can, where appropriate, act as brokers for developing projects and finding partners. This could include:
• Market intelligence about China
• Advice about Customs, visas and work permits
• On the ground support in China, including meeting & travel arrangements, interpretation and administrative support. Please contact us at least 4 weeks before your arrival in China.
• Advice on selecting Chinese partner organisations or artists for your projects
• Guidance on submitting proposals and/or case studies
• Translation of your project proposals into Chinese
• Dissemination and promotion of your proposals to appropriate artists and organisations in China