2014 Canada China Tibetan Culture Week goes to Toronto

Tibetan Culture Week opens in Vancouver of Canada. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

2014 Canada China Tibetan Culture Week arrived in Toronto on Wednesday, offering the largest city in Canada a rare chance to appreciate the beauty of landscape in Tibet and uniqueness of Tibetan culture.

Following a welcoming reception to guests, a spectacular film entitled Roof of the World was enjoyed by audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival Bell Lightbox. The film features Tibet 's vast, gorgeous landscapes and its diligent people, showcasing incredible documentaries about the challenges of modernization of a traditional society.

Canadian audiences excitedly claimed that although they used to be lacking in knowledge about Tibet, this movie imparted intriguing information about this mysterious land, and stimulated passion about Tibetan history and culture.

"Very good details, very realistic and natural. I got lot of good mileage out of it. I didn't really have much perspective before,but I feel a lot more informed now," a Canadian viewer told Xinhua after the 90-minute screening.

The 2014 Canada Tibetan Culture Week officially kicked off in Vancouver on Nov 2. The event will be held till Nov 15 in Vancouver, Toronto, and the capital city of Ottawa. In Toronto, the Cultural Week also comprises a series of artistic performances at Bluma Appel Theatre at the St. Lawrence Center for the Arts on both Nov 6-7.

Along with other cultural activities in the Cultural Week, the films and artistic performances including songs, dances and traditional Tibetan costumes provide excellent chances for Canadian people to appreciate the breath-taking landscapes and unique cultural legacy of the pearl in Tibetan Plateau.

Dorje Tsedrub, vice chairman of the people's government of the Tibet Autonomous Region, said that this cultural event is constructive in enhancing Canadians' understanding of the distinctive Tibet. He also pointed out that the Cultural Week could strengthen the friendship between China and Canada by lasting initiatives to better understand each other.

"The western media chose to portrait Tibet as isolated and under developed, but it's not the truth. Tibet has witnessed a tremendous change," Tsedrub told Xinhua.

The Tibet-themed culture week has become a popular event to showcase a real Tibet to the world under the leadership of the Chinese government. The culture week has toured over 11 countries since 2001, including Australia, Germany and Spain. And it is the second time for the activity to land in Canada since September 2002.

With a land area of more than 1.2 million square kilometers, the Tibet Autonomous Region has a population of more than 3 million. Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is also known as the Roof of the World. The average elevation of the region is more than 4,000 meters. Mount Qomolangma, the highest mountain in the world, is located on Tibet's border with Nepal.