An Unconventional Topic For Cultural Exchange

As China and Europe face demographic challenges with ageing populations, there is a room for an intercultural reflection on how to empower senior citizens and present alternatives to the stereotype of them as dependent and vulnerable. The Chinese context with its Confucian concept of filial fidelity provides a unique backdrop and accentuates the need for a cultural exchange that can build inclusion, and make the elderly feel recognized and valued.
"Voices Across Time" is conceived as an awareness campaign for combating ageism and dismantling age- related prejudice. Through the lens of contemporary art, the various programs introduce sustainable alternatives to the traditional, rather family-dependent approach by emphasizing the critical importance of care and caregiving, and advocate for recognizing the value of intergenerational support, and connection in the silver economy. The aim of the initiative is to authentically address the beauties, prides, and existential realities of the elderly in different social and cultural settings.

Championing visibility and rights of older citizens

"Voices Across Time" hosted a broad program of different cultural expressions. The main highlights and flagship initiatives were:

• A nine-week long exhibition titled "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night", which explored themes of ageing and memory, resonating deeply with the public and fostering a sense of collective introspection about getting older. The exhibition attracted more than 35,000 visitors and its success caused an extension of the exhibition for another four weeks.

• A series of talks and dialogues accompanied the exhibition and served as a platform for a diversity of voices for cross-generational opinions and different perspectives. The sessions were all kicked off by experts and artists and the subsequent discussions with the attendees helped shift perceptions of what it entails to getting older. Not only about challenges and opportunities, but in particular also how children and family can prepare for their relatives’ decline in emotional health and mobility.

• the presentation of 21 contemporary European films under the headline "Ageing Together”. It featured 31 screenings at multiple public and diplomatic venues and received enthusiastic participation from a broad spectrum of people. Each screening included talks with invited academic or cultural experts which not only boosted the lively exchanges, but more importantly also helped people grasp the scope of the final stage of life from a non-Chinese point of view. Due to the massive success, some of the films were screened twice just as the program was extended to other provinces.

• A series of performance labs which brought together senior residents from a care centre with professional artists to co-create a performance that would explore memory and ageing. The emotional impact from “From Memory to Script” proved to be profound by fostering a sense of belonging and connection among participants and has led to expanding the initiative with a new round of performance labs.

A Promise Despite The Odds

The preparation and execution of “Voices Across Time” spanned 14 months from the initial discussions to the concluding activities. Altogether a lesson in the importance of a good programming and meaningful interactive activities as key to introducing a collaborative cultural exchange concept to locals. Given the delicate climate between EU and China and the subsequent challenges with presenting EU-related activities in public venues in the Chinese capital, the overall assessment of the project can only be positive. 35.000+ visitors for the exhibition, fully booked film screenings and well attended dialogue activities is a good hint to how meaningful it has been perceived. The project was able to overcome the complexity of the local cultural context and the media-barriers applied to EUNIC, by offering an educational base that all could learn from.
Perhaps it was precisely the downplaying of the project's European identity that made it accessible for the locals. The combination of the European contributions' no-nonsense approach with the Chinese contributors' withheld reflection undoubtedly made it easier for the audiences to access the difficult topic of ageing in a way that they could connect with it. In China people don’t speak up about issues that hurt, and definitively not in public, but those attending the various activities of “Voices Across Time” were highly receptive and engaged. This promises for an impactful second phase.
In this light it is only regrettable that the initial plans for including cross-over activities and academic exchanges in the project scope that would involve researchers and universities from both sides never materialised. The outcome would have provided the cluster with valuable insight on how to address the next steps. Albeit too early though to have a qualified opinion on long term commitments, four of the 10 involved EUNIC partners have indicated that they plan to continue to explore the themes of age, dementia and ageing society in activities planned for 2026.