On May 7th, 2008, Ambassador Fu Ying was invited to attend and speak in the Liu Fei Jewelry Design Exhibition held by the Embassy's Culture OfficeSection. Also present at the exhibition were more than 70 guests from the British Jewelers' Association, established design companies, specialty stores and fashion magazines. Counselor Wu Xun presided over the proceedings.

Accompanied by Liu, Ambassador Fu Ying watched the exhibits with great interest. She appreciated Liu's works for the Chinese cultural elements, refined Chinese traditions and mix of the Chinese and western cultures embodied in the works, and congratulated the young designer on his achievements in jewelry design.

Fu said that Britain, as the origin of the concept of creative industry, leads the world in the creative industries, such as fashion and design. The British creative industries account for 8.2% of its GDP, with a growth rate twice that of the overall economy. London, a famous fashion city and centre of international fashion trade, is home to many well- known fashion brands and designers and at the forefront of the design trend.

She said that China's creative industries have just started, but they are growing at a quick pace. The China's Creative Industry Development Report 2007 highlighted that the growth of China's creative industries outpaced that of China's GDP for three consecutive years. The design industry, as the most promising creative industry, has a moderate scale in China, evidenced by its 300 thousand professional workers and 30 billion yuan output (approximately 2.1 billion pounds). China is a large manufacturing country and every household present has products "Made in China". However, the label "Designed in China" is still not well-known in the world, so the creative industries still have a long way to go.

The cooperation on innovation, including creative industries, is one of the five future Sino-British cooperation fields proposed to Prime Minister Brown by Premier Wen Jiabao. Terminal Three of the Beijing Capital Airport designed by the British designers is operating well; the modern design exhibition named "China Design Now" was held in the Victoria and Albert Museum; tonight, we enjoyed again the beauty of "Chinese design", and I am confident that the good bilateral cooperation on creative industries will bring us more pleasant surprises.

Fu said that Mr. Liu learned jewelry design in Beijing and Birmingham. His success is illustrative of the achievements in educational and cultural exchanges between China and Britain, and demonstrates the importance of China-western mutual understanding and communication.

Fu said that the controversy arising from the western media's reports on Tibet and Beijing Olympic Games undermined the popular base of Sino-western relations. In some areas, the western countries have no knowledge about China, and Britain has limited understanding about the Tibet question. But, China should also work hard to make her voices heard in the world. She said it was her hope and belief that the efforts of those who were familiar with China and the western countries could serve as a bridge of mutual understanding.

Mr. Liu thanked Ambassador Fu for her presence and said this was a highlight of his career. He totally agreed with Madam Fu's remarks on better understanding between China and western countries. He also extended his gratitude to the professors from the jewelry design department of the University of Birmingham and to his partners in the profession for their guidance and help. He was ready to use his knowledge and skills and make efforts to promote bilateral exchanges and understanding.

Liu Fei Studio is an emerging jewelry design company, located in Birmingham-the world famous jewelry industry center. Liu Fei, the founder and designer of the company, is versed in the Oriental and Western design concepts and has won several British and international awards. He has sold his works to Europe, America and Asia.