Embassy of Finland

Beijing - China

The principal functions of the Cultural Section of the Finnish Embassy are:

• to co-operate in cultural affairs between Finland and China
• to contribute to increasing knowledge of Finnish culture in China
• to arrange cultural events in China

FINNISH CULTURE

Finland's rugged and varied landscapes are the source of Finnish culture. Finnish designers and architects have won international acclaim, as have our musicians, conductors and singers. Finland is particularly well known around the world for her music, architecture and industrial design.

The national epic, the Kalevala , has had an important influence on music just as it has on other fields of Finnish culture. Jean Sibelius' (1865-1957) symphonies often took their themes from the Kalevala. The Finnish summer sees hundreds of annual music festivals. The Savonlinna Opera Festival in medieval Olavinlinna Castle usually presents four operas during its month-long season.

Architecture has had a major influence on Finland's culture as a whole. Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840), the main architect of Finland's capital Helsinki, created a neo-classical city center. At the turn of the century, art nouveau style brought with it a completely new concept of beauty. Finnish art nouveau is not as decorative as the variations found on the Continent. In the last years of the 1920s, functionalism made its breakthrough in architecture. The period of classicism which preceded it, featured internationally renowned Finnish architects such as Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). Aalto's architecture can be found throughout the world and he has had a great influence on the next generation of architects.

The typical features of Finnish industrial design are a form of clean lines, a harmonius use of color and a preference for natural materials. Good design is timeless. The chairs designed by Alvar Aalto are classics today and many of the products designed in the 1950s are still being manufactured. Finnish design covers everything from textiles and furs to the products of the Arabia, Iittala and Nuutaj rvi glassworks and ceramics. Today, design covers an increasingly wide range of products, for example in the engineering and electronics industries.