Co-organized by Piraeus University and China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC)

The event "CHINA: Time of XI" co-organized by the University of Piraeus and the China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC) at the HILTON Hotel in Athens, November 1st
This was the first of a series of events planned in Greece ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit and was attended by representatives of both governments, Chinese state officials and diplomats, such as Deputy Foreign Minister Guo Wein and the Ambassador of China to Greece Mrs. Zhang and a number of Greek officials. More than 200 people from the media and international organizations, including representatives of UNESCO, the European Commission and ERT, watched the presentation and trailer of the documentary.
The director of the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Guo Weinmin, in his greeting noted the following. "Greece and China have important features in common: they are both countries with a long history and culture. For China, Greece is a friendly country in the European Union and a partner and our relationship is characterized by cooperation, support and mutual assistance. The screening of the documentary "CHINA: Time of XI" is an opportunity for Greeks to see China and the Chinese as they are today in order to understand and get to know them better.chinamain1

The Rector of the University of Piraeus, Angelos Kotios and the director of the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Guo Weinmin


This three part documentary "CHINA: Time of XI", a production of the Discovery Channel, is about modern Chinese society, China's technological development and its relations with the world, and will be broadcast on November 8, 9 and 10 by National Greek Television.
The Chinese Ambassador in Greece, Zhang Qiyue, in greeting the event stated that the China-Greece relationship is constantly developing. The development strategies of the two countries are highly compatible and both countries support the dialogue between cultures and share a common goal of promoting exchange and mutual learning between cultures. Regarding the documentary, he said that it will help the Greek people to have a more complete and objective understanding of today's China and will offer new ideas for the joint promotion of cultural exchanges and development between the countries.
The Rector of the University of Piraeus, Angelos Kotios, underlined the importance of the cooperation with China. UniPi has already developed collaborations with Chinese universities, research centers and think-tanks understanding the importance of the university's participation in the academic dialogue on the role and importance of China in the modern world, for the further promotion of Greek-Chinese and cultural relations, as well as for the promotion of Greece in China.
During the event, the opening ceremony of the shooting of the film entitled "National Action" took place. The film will be produced by National Cultural Industrial Investment Ltd (NCII) and is expected to start immediately with the participation of major actors in world cinema, so that it is ready by the end of 2020.
The subject of the film is the departure and transfer - first to Crete and then to China - of 15,000 Chinese citizens from Libya, when the war broke out there in 2011. Greece at the time made significant efforts and helped the Chinese government to rescue the Chinese citizens, under particularly adverse conditions. The film, part of which will be shot in Crete and the Greek seas, is, as the organizers noted, "China's practical gratitude to the Greek people." After the completion of the shooting, the film will be screened in China and is expected to "be the biggest advertisement of the Greek philotimo and solidarity".
Philotimo : (also spelled filotimo; Greek: φιλότιμο) is a Greek noun translating to "love of honor". However, philotimo is almost impossible to translate sufficiently as it describes a complex array of virtues and ethics. It is doing the right thing with no expect of compensation of any kind and going out of your way in doing it.

trailer «CHINA: Time of XI»