The Czech Republic was one of the first countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 67 years ago, the traditional friendship between China and the Czech Republic and the two peoples has been deepened. In the 50s of the last century, the famous Czech painter Skleinard visited China and formed friendship with Wu Zuoren, Qi Baishi and other Chinese art masters. After returning to the Czech Republic, Skleinard created many paintings of the Monkey King, known as the 73rd Variation of the Monkey King. "The Mole's Tale" was the first animated film to enter China. The cartoon image of the little mole is lovely, kind and brave, and is deeply loved by the majority of children in China. The symphonic poem suite "My Motherland" composed by the music master Smetana and the book "The Good Soldier Shuaike" by the writer Hašek are well known in China.

——Signed article published in the Czech media, "Playing the Strong Voice of the Times in China-Czech Relations" (March 26, 2016)

Further reading:

The famous Czech painter Zdeněk Skleinar was born in 1910. In the 50s of the 20th century, Skleinard went to China to hold an exhibition and was deeply attracted by the story of the Chinese Monkey King, so he began to introduce the story of the Monkey King and "Journey to the West" to the Czech people with a brush. The Czech version of "The Monkey King" created by Skleinard combines traditional Chinese cultural elements with Czech national characteristics, with strong color changes and diverse images, more than 500 "Journey to the West" characters have been redesigned, and the Monkey King has changed seventy-three times, and Skleinard is also known as the "Czech Monkey King".

"Little Mole" is a Czech national treasure. "The Mole's Tale" is a classic book by the famous Czech illustrator and film director Zdeněk Müller. In order to enable the "little mole" to cross national boundaries and language barriers, Miller chose to convey information with rich movements, expressions and simple sounds in the creation of cartoons, while avoiding verbal expression as much as possible. In the 80s of the 20th century, "The Story of the Mole" was introduced to China and became a classic memory of a generation. In March 2016, a cartoon co-produced by China and the Czech Republic, "Panda and Little Mole", was launched, and the "story of the mole" with Chinese elements also allowed the little mole to continue to sow the seeds of friendship in the hearts of children in the two countries.

Born in 1824, Bedřich Smetana is the founder of Czech classical music, the forerunner of Czech national opera, and the founder of the Czech national music school. In 1874, Smetana was unfortunately deaf, but continued to create, creating a large number of works. The symphonic poem suite "My Motherland" mentioned by Xi Jinping is Smetana's masterpiece. The famous Czech writer Hašek, born in 1883, is known for his humor and satire, and his masterpiece "Good Soldier Shuaike" takes the experience of an ordinary Czech soldier Shuaike in World War I as a plot clue, profoundly exposing the vicious tyranny of the Austro-Hungarian rulers and the corruption and degeneration of their army. Many critics have likened Schuck to Cervantes' Don Quixote. "Good Soldier Shuaike" has been translated into nearly 30 languages, including Chinese, and is loved by people all over the world.

In March 2016, Xi Jinping visited the Czech Republic, his first visit to a Central and Eastern European country after assuming the presidency. Before telling the story of China-Czech people-to-people exchanges, Xi Jinping specifically mentioned that the Czech Republic has "outstanding people, beautiful mountains and rivers, and profound cultural and historical heritage". Recalling his visit to the Czech Republic in the 90s of the 20th century, he was deeply impressed by the industrious and intelligent Czech people, the vigorous economic and social construction of the Czech Republic, and the Bohemian civilization nurtured by the Vltava River.

Czech painters created paintings of the Monkey King, based on the image of the Monkey King, and The Tale of the Mole was popular among Chinese children...... These stories told by Xi Jinping in a signed article published by the Czech media not only vividly illustrate the historical friendship between China and the Czech Republic, but also vividly point out the importance of cultural exchanges. He pointed out that the people of China and the Czech Republic have always admired each other's civilization and culture, and in recent years, they have continuously set off an upsurge of exchanges, hoping to "strengthen people-to-people exchanges and give connotation to the times".