ATHENS – It’s called A Day in the Life of a Teddy Bear but the movie is about a Greek architect, Panos, who falls in love in Shanghai with Jinxi, a Chinese violinist planning to move to Vienna – but not before they bond.

The movie opened in Greece after being filmed in 2019 in the country as well as China and Austria and was written and directed by Vassilis Xiros, who was Consul-General of Greece in Shanghai from 2015-19.

His directorial debut was also his last project in China, as he had already finished his diplomatic term a few days before the shooting started, , said the Chinese news agency Xinhua in a report.

It opens during the China-Greece Year of Culture and Tourism and Xiros, now an advisor to the Greek Culture and Sports Ministry, said he hoped the film can help bridge cultural gaps between the two countries.

“In both countries there is a vaguely positive perception of the other country, but in reality, we have little knowledge of everyday life and culture in Greece and China respectively,” he said.

“This gap can only be bridged through cultural exchanges, and the Culture and Tourism Year can effectively serve this purpose, despite the limitations due to the (COVID-19) pandemic,” he told the news agency.

Greece and China have been drawing closer, with more Chinese investor interest and direct air links between the countries and China was the featured country at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) in 2017.