Dear Fellow Norwegians,
The summer season is upon us, and many of you are likely enjoying your holidays. Despite the vacation period, the Consulate General wishes to keep you informed about our recent activities and upcoming events.
2024 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Norway and China. This spring has been particularly busy and fulfilling for us. In May, we hosted "Norway Now," a week full of events in Shanghai, highlighting Norwegian interests and celebrating the 70-year anniversary of Norway-China relations. We also participated in Shanghai Climate Week, underscoring our commitment to environmental issues. Additionally, in partnership with our Nordic counterparts, we promoted sustainable practices through the successful Nordic Shanghai Climate Cycling event. We joined the Norwegian community in Shanghai to celebrate our National Day on the 17th of May with great enthusiasm. Furthermore, we collaborated with six Norwegian architecture firms to showcase our innovative design at the prestigious Design Shanghai event.
As I prepare to conclude my position this August, I want to thank you all for your support. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience serving as your Consul General in Shanghai. During my tenure, I have been fortunate to witness and be part of many significant events. The COVID-19 period, and the lockdown in Shanghai, was particularly challenging, but it also highlighted the strength of our community, bringing out great cooperation and fostering new friendships. I am deeply grateful for the support and resilience shown by everyone during these tough times. I look forward to meeting many of you in new capacities in the future.
Summer in Shanghai often means dealing with scorching sun and sudden downpours, but it also offers the opportunity for cooler evening walks. I wish all Norwegians in Eastern China a wonderful summer season, whether you are spending it here in China or back in Norway.
Best wishes,
Lise Nordgaard
Consul General
Upcoming events:
Student event for Fudan University Nordic Center Summer Program with Nordic Consulates
Fudan University will be arranging the summer course “Business and Innovation in China” from July 1 to July 12 in Shanghai, with students from all the Nordic countries attending.
On July 10, 35 students attending the Nordic Center Summer Program were joined by the Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, and Swedish Consulates General in Shanghai for a student event at Studio 9. This event offered the Nordic students a valuable opportunity to learn more about the work at the foreign missions. Additionally, there were discussions on ongoing projects and commercial cases involving various stakeholders from business, academia, and governmental institutions from both the Nordic countries and China.
CBME (Children Baby Maternity Expo) – 17-19 July
CBME China showcases products and supporting services throughout the entire industry chain, including maternity, baby and children’s products, strollers, car seats and furniture, food, toys, clothing, shoes and accessories, comprehensive maternity and baby services, and supply chain. 5 Norwegian companies will participate.
Exhibition “A Journey From the Center of the Earth”
The Norwegian contemporary artists Ingrid Torvund and Jonas Mailand will join the upcoming exhibition “A Journey From the Center of the Earth” in Shanghai.
Inspired by Verne’s book Journey to the Center of the Earth from 1864, the exhibition is a reverse journey from the center of the Earth, wandering with 13 global artists and groups whose works exam the condition of the Earth and humans in the era of Anthroposcene with a non-anthropocentric perspective.
The exhibition will be opened on 10th July and last until October, at the Bund Art Center 185 Space. More info: 2024年7月10日，从地心攀升
Previous highlights:
Visit to the icebreaker Xuelong 2
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of China's first Antarctic Scientific Expedition, the Consulate General, along with a group of diplomats, was invited to an Open Day event by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC). During this event, we had the privilege of boarding China's first domestically produced polar icebreaker Xuelong2, which is homeported in Shanghai.
Shanghai Climate Week & Nordic Shanghai Climate Cycling
The first ever Shanghai Climate Week (SCW) was held from 22 – 26 April, and we participated together with our Nordic counterparts, the Danish and Finnish Consulates. To kick off the event, we organized a Nordic Shanghai Climate Cycling, with the aim to inspire people to choose more sustainable ways of transportation, as well as highlight the many great cycling experiences in and around Shanghai. We also organized an event focusing on circular economy, with several Norwegian companies participating. Our cooperation with our Nordic partners on climate related issues will continue, and we are looking forward to future joint events.
Klubb Norge May 17 celebration & 17 May Historic Walk and gathering
As is tradition, Klubb Norge once again hosted the 17 May celebrations for the Norwegian community in Shanghai. Just as last year we had speeches, a buffet including Norwegian waffles and hotdogs, and a parade around the area. We appreciate the work put in by the Klubb Norge committee and everyone else who contributed to making the celebration a success.
On the actual day of the national day, 17 May, the Consulate invited the Norwegian community to a guided city walk by Historic Shanghai to learn more about the history of Norwegians in Shanghai. With the valuable expertise of Patrick Cranley and Tina Kanagaratnam we learned more about the Norwegian traces in the city.
May 17 reception at the Grand Halls on the North Bund
On May 21, the Consulate hosted a Norwegian Constitution Day reception at the Grand Halls, together with Team Norway. For this year’s program, the talented marching band from Shanghai Kongjiang Middle School, Swing Arts Choir and Yuguo Folk Music were invited to perform.
As 2024 marks the 70th year anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Norway and China, this reception was only the beginning of all the festivities taking place later the same week – Norway Now.
Norway Now
The Consulate General together with Team Norway organized Norway Now - a five-day program highlighting Norway in Shanghai. With a total of 17 events, including a Norwegian market, tourism event, concerts by Peder Elias and Maria Arredondo and much more this was our biggest event so far this year. We were happy to welcome State Secretary Tore O. Sandvik and representatives from Team Norway to join us at Norway Now.
Official launch of the report “Norwegian Business in China 2024”
This year’s business report was created in close cooperation with the Consulate and Team Norway in China, with valuable input from the Norwegian businesses operating in China, and was presented during Norway Now.
Link to the report: Norwegian Business In China 2024 - Norway in China
Design Shanghai – 19 - 22 June
This was the 11th year of Design Shanghai in China, and the 5th year of the Consulate participating in the fair, this year together with 6 Norwegian architecture companies: BOGL, DRMA, Haptic, Lala Tøyen, Lundhagem and Transborder Studio. Oslo Architecture Triennale (OAT) curated the exhibition “Towards New Naturehoods” following also last year’s topic on Norwegian architecture and design practises with the intention of upholding and sustaining environmentally friendly solutions within this field.
The Consulate also co-hosted a seminar together with the Norwegian Business Association on the topic of Norwegian architecture and nature, joined by OAT and company representatives.
International Ibsen Conference – 24-26 June
The XVth International Ibsen Conference on “The Intermedial Ibsen” was held in Nanjing in June, with the Consulate General participating. The conference was hosted by Nanjing University, in cooperation with the Centre for Ibsen Studies at the University of Oslo. About 200 domestic and foreign experts attended the conference, including Norwegian scholars and participants from more than 10 different countries. Several researchers of the European Academy of Sciences and internationally renowned scholars served as keynote speakers during the conference.
Although he was born almost two centuries ago, there is no doubt that Ibsen’s plays are still highly relevant. This was showcased through an impressive and vibrant theatre production at Nanjing University’s Black Box Theatre, where Chinese students at Nanjing University’s School of Arts showcased their interpretation of Ibsen’s famous play Peer Gynt.
Goodbye trainees
To conclude this newsletter, we would like to thank our two interns Ingvild and Nikolas for their contributions at the Consulate. Going forward Ingvild will return to Norway and embark on a master’s degree in international development studies, while Nikolas will stay in Shanghai continuing his master’s at Fudan University. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours!