Coming soon after Norway Day at the World Expo in Shanghai, Norway Days is organized by the mid-Norwegian county Sør-Trøndelag in collaboration with its partner Chongqing. Norway Days will be profiling Norwegian culture, research and development, as well as business opportunities and thus forge stronger links to one of the fastest growing regions of China. The event is envisaged to kick start long-term economic, technological and cultural cooperation with partners in Chongqing and China.
Norway Days will be opened on the 30th of May in the presence of the Norwegian minister of Trade and Industry Mr Trond Giske and with a performance at Chongqing Grand Theatre by the musical ensemble Trondheim Soloists. Sissel Kyrkjebø and Jovan Pavlovic, County Artist 2010 of Sør-Trøndelag, as well as Chinese musicians will also perform on this occasion. The following day, the Trondheim Soloists will perform during the opening of an exhibition in the China Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing. The exhibition will showcase modern Trøndelag/Norway, its nature, culture, and technology. Graphical works by Norwegian artist Håkon Gullvåg, who will be in the midst of a travelling exhibition across China will also be included.
In addition, there will be a score of match-making opportunities for Norwegian companies and Chinese partners, both in the field of research and business. Both the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the SINTEF Group will be present in Chongqing with their top leaders. Partnerships between Norwegian and local schools, which was begun in 2008, will also feature with teachers and students from Norway attending.
Chongqing and Sør-Trøndelag entered a friendship and cooperation agreement in 2005. The cooperation was upgraded to a twinning relationship in June 2007.
For more information on the Gullvåg exhibition or the Trondheim soloists in China, see the following links:
Håkon Gullvåg in China
Trondheim soloists on tour in China