The Chinese Embassy in Ghana has held a Film Festival to demonstrate the cultural and social life of its people at the Silverbird Cinemas in Accra.

The three-day festival was held as part of activities marking the 55th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Ghana.

A statement issued, in Accra, on Wednesday to the Ghana News Agency by the Chinese Embassy, said the festival attracted about 1,000 viewers.

“Over 300 people attended the first day of screening, which also attracted state officials, lecturers, students, and business executives,” it said.

The statement said Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Sun Baohong, showed keen interest in the Creative Arts of Ghana and provided precious support to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts in terms of capacity building and contribution to the development of the sector.

“China and Ghana have in recent years conducted effective cooperation on culture and people to people exchanges,” it said.

According to Ms Baohong, Ghanaians were showing ever-growing enthusiasm in learning the Chinese language and in developing interest in the Chinese culture.

“Both of our two governments will continue our efforts in setting up more platforms to strengthen the bonds of our two peoples so that China-Ghana friendship will be carried forward from generation to generation,” she said.

The statement quoted Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, Minister of Tourism and Creative Arts, as saying Ghanaians attached great importance to the sector of culture and creative arts, including film, and viewed them as key to enhancing soft power and promoting the socio-economic development of Ghana.

“In this regard, the Chinese side has aided Ghana with the National Theatre, and offered the latter with a number of scholarships,” it said.

According to the statement, the sector minister commended Ms Baohong for the interest shown in the creative arts sector, while looking forward to an even stronger relationship between the two countries in the future.

The opening film screened was the ‘Monkey King’ which is derived from the ‘Journey to the West’, one of the four great classical novels of Chinese Literature, which is also very popular among Ghanaians.

Other movies that were screened for free to the public included Partners, Mulan, The Grandmaster; The Flowers of War; Painted Skin, The Resurrection, Confucius, Chinese Zodiac as well as Phurbu and Tenzin.