On Wednesday, June 19, the unveiling of the sculptural composition representing the leading literary figures Lu Xun and Nikos Kazantzakis took place in the square of the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum with great solemnity and in the presence of a large crowd. Lu Xun is regarded as the founder of Modern Chinese Literature. The sculpture is entitled "Dialogue of Souls: Nikos Kazantzakis and Lu Xun" and is a donation from the Shaoxing Lu Xun Museum to the Kazantzakis Museum, which have been twinned since 2012. A similar sculptural composition with the two writers will be placed in the Lu Xun Museum in Shaoxing in accordance with the cooperation memorandum signed in 2023 by the two Museums.
The unveiling took place in the context of the event "Lu Xun - Nikos Kazantzakis: The meeting of two giants of literature" organized by the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum with the co-organizer of the Region of Crete. The event was attended by the Chinese Ambassador to Greece, His Excellency Mr. Xiao Junzheng, while a 12-member Chinese delegation traveled specially from Shaoxing to Myrtia, headed by Mr. Ding Ruxing, Director of Communication and Guidance of Shaoxing. The members of the delegation came from several organizations in the Shaoxing region that are active in Regional Administration, Local Government, Arts, Culture, Tourism and Media. The Chinese delegation had the opportunity to tour the Permanent Exhibition and have constructive discussions with the Museum staff.
The event started with the greetings from the Chairman of the Board of Directors. of the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum, Professor Michalis Taroudakis of the Regional Governor of Crete, Mr. Stavros Arnautakis, the Director of the Museum, Ms. Marilena Milathianaki, and the Deputy Mayor of Culture of the Municipality of Archanos-Asterousia, Ms. Kalliopis Antonidakis. On behalf of the Chinese delegation, the Chinese Ambassador to Greece and the head of the Chinese mission greeted her. All of them emphasized China's strong ties with Crete and particularly with the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum and how this sculptural composition seals Greek-Chinese friendship.
This was followed by the keynote speech of the event given by the Associate Professor of Peking University, Ms. Elena Avramidou. Ms. Avramidou highlighted in the best possible way the historical context and the biography of Kazantzakis and Lu Xun who lived almost simultaneously but created in two different worlds, without ever meeting. He documented the similarities in the work of the two authors and why Lu Xun is referred to as "the Chinese Kazantzakis", while Kazantzakis is referred to as "the Greek Lu Xun".
Afterwards, the sculptural composition created by the Director of the National Art Museum of China, Mr. Wu Weishan, was unveiled, who through a video analyzed the sculpture and its inspiration. The event ended with a concert by the leading soloists Ms. Hatzinikolaou Katerinas and Mr. Apostolos Palios on the violin and the piano respectively, who performed carefully selected works by Greek and Chinese composers for the event.
The event was attended by a representative of the Archbishop of Crete, the MP of N. Heraklion, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis, the Secretary General of the Decentralized Administration of Crete, Ms. Maria Kozyraki, the Deputy Regional Governor for Culture, Ms. Georgia Milaki, the Rector of ELMEPA, prof. Nikolaos Katsarakis, the President of the International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis, Dr. Katerina Zografistou, the former Member of Parliament of Heraklion, Mr. Giorgos, the President and the Vice-President of DEPANAL Municipality of Heraklion, Mr. Costas Varverakis and Ms. Mara Panagiotakis.
