Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and the Ambassador of China to Greece Zhang Qiyue discussed the joint actions of Greece and China between 2020 and 2022 ahead of the Greece and China Cultural-Tourist Year 2021.

At the meeting held on Sunday, Mendoni underlined that in the context of the celebration for the 200-year anniversary of the Greek Independence in 2021, a significant archaeological exhibition is being prepared at the National Museum of China in Beijing.

A Culture Ministry’s announcement also said that during the meeting Mendoni referred to the issue of the Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus linking it with the memorandum of cooperation signed between the two countries and refers to the specific antiquities.

Mendoni will send “within the week the relevant material to the Chinese Embassy in order for the prospects of the Greek-Chinese cooperation to be discussed for the port of Piraeus to acquire a model and unique museum dedicated to the underwater antiquities. An exhibition on the achievement of the Chinese seamanship could be also hosted at the museum”.

Additionally, the Greek minister expressed Greece’s will to host, in the framework of the FORUM 17+1, the Culture Ministers meeting in 2021.

On her part, the Chinese envoy said that “China will celebrate the 100-years anniversary from the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party.”

Mendoni asked Greece to host at the Byzantine Museum in Athens an exhibition of China’s imperial treasures noting that the hall with the Byzantine Empire’s treasures is ideal for hosting the imperial art of China reminding of the huge success of the exhibition with the imperial dresses of Qianlong at the Acropolis museum.

Finally, the Chinese ambassador briefed Mendoni on the series of events scheduled to take place at the cultural centre of China in Athens.