In a gesture of cultural diplomacy designed to strengthen the ties between two of Asia’s most influential neighbors, Peng Liyuan and Ngo Phuong Ly visited the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing on April 15. The visit, centered on the shared artistic heritage of China and Vietnam, served as a high-level effort to cultivate “goodwill” through the arts, moving beyond the rigid confines of political summits.
Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, hosted Ngo Phuong Ly, the wife of Vietnamese President To Lam, for a tour of the facility. The NCPA, often referred to as the “Giant Egg” due to its striking titanium and glass architecture, is one of the world’s most advanced performing arts centers and serves as a primary hub for China’s international cultural outreach.
The meeting focused on the intersection of tradition and technology. The two women toured the center’s opera house, recording studios, and a specialized virtual reality (VR) creative space. These areas highlight the NCPA’s current strategy to modernize artistic creation and expand the accessibility of cultural services through digital innovation.
Bridging Borders Through Performance
The itinerary was curated to showcase the breadth of Chinese performing arts, ranging from classical choral music to the rhythmic complexities of regional folk traditions. During the visit, Peng and Ly observed live rehearsals of a Chinese ethnic dance drama and a choral recording session, engaging in a series of exchanges regarding the technical and creative aspects of the performances.
This focus on ethnic dance is particularly significant given the historical and cultural overlap between the two nations. By highlighting regional and ethnic art forms, the visit aimed to underscore the organic similarities between the Chinese and Vietnamese peoples, rather than focusing solely on the centralized power of the state.
Peng emphasized that the two countries are “connected by mountains and rivers,” a phrase that evokes the shared geography and deep-rooted history of the region. She noted that the shared cultural sensibilities and mutual understanding between the two populations provide a stable foundation for deeper diplomatic cooperation.
The Strategic Role of Cultural Diplomacy
While the visit was presented as a cultural exchange, it carries significant weight within the broader context of China-Vietnam relations. Both nations share a communist political framework and a complex history of cooperation and conflict. In this environment, “soft power” initiatives—such as the promotion of arts and music—are often used to smooth over frictions regarding maritime disputes or trade imbalances.
The visit to the NCPA’s VR creative space suggests a forward-looking approach to this diplomacy. By integrating technology into cultural exchange, both nations are exploring ways to reach younger generations, who are more likely to engage with art through digital platforms than through traditional diplomatic channels.
Peng expressed a clear hope that cultural institutions and individual artists from both China and Vietnam will intensify their cooperation. The goal, according to Peng, is to deepen the friendship between the two governments by first cultivating a sense of shared identity and goodwill among the artists and the general public.
Key Areas of Cultural Engagement
- Digital Innovation: The use of VR and recording technology to preserve and share traditional art forms.
- Ethnic Arts: Utilizing folk dance and music to highlight commonalities in regional heritage.
- Institutional Exchange: Encouraging direct partnerships between the NCPA and Vietnamese cultural academies.
- Public Diplomacy: Using the visibility of the spouses of heads of state to signal a period of warmth and stability.
Impact and Implications for Regional Ties
The visit underscores a specific pattern in East Asian diplomacy where the spouses of leaders play a pivotal role in “track two” diplomacy. By focusing on the arts, Peng and Ly are able to project an image of harmony and mutual respect that can complement the more formal, and often more contentious, negotiations handled by their husbands.
For Vietnam, maintaining a balanced relationship with China is a critical component of its national security and economic strategy. For China, strengthening ties with Vietnam is a key part of its broader objective to maintain stability and influence within the ASEAN region.
The emphasis on “mountains and rivers” serves as a reminder that despite political shifts, the physical and cultural proximity of the two nations remains a constant. By promoting the exchange of artists and the sharing of creative spaces, the two countries are attempting to build a network of human connections that can withstand the volatility of geopolitical tensions.
As the two nations continue to navigate their shared border and overlapping interests, the focus on cultural institutions like the NCPA provides a neutral ground for engagement. The success of these initiatives will likely be measured by the number of joint artistic productions and the frequency of artist residencies between Beijing and Hanoi in the coming years.
The next confirmed checkpoint in this cultural trajectory will be the subsequent reports on joint artistic ventures or official cultural agreements resulting from this visit, which are typically announced during follow-up diplomatic reviews between the two ministries of culture.
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