Talk with Yu Hua in Barcelona

From http://www.casaasia.eu/actividad/detalle?id=212101 (in English)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Yu Hua (image from Casa Asia website)[/caption]

The Master in Chinese Studies of Universitat Pompeu Fabra, in collaboration with Editorial Males Herbes, CCCB-Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona and Casa Asia are organizing a talk with Chinese writer Yu Hua (余华) in Barcelona on November 5, 2013. The renowned writer will give a talk entitled "The Frozen Story: Between Kafka and Lu Xun" and together with Carles Prado, teacher at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and specialist in Chinese literature, will discuss about the deep economic, political and social changes experimented by China since the end of the Cultural Revolution.

How has Chinese literature reflected this giant transformation? What evolution has literary production experimented since Mao Zedong's death? Why is Yu Hua's innovative prose so crude and heartbreaking? These are some of the questions Yu Hua will analyse in this dialogue within the framework of the opening lecture of the Master in Chinese Studies of Universitat Pompeu Fabra. The event coincides with the publication of the first translation into Catalan of Yu Hua's work The past and the punishments (El passat i els càstigs, Males Herbes, 2013).

The event will take place at the CCCB-Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (Montalegre, 5, 08001 Barcelona) and will be presented by Ricard Planas, Director of Editorial Males Herbes and is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm. Free admission until room's full capacity.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="192"] El passat i els càstigs, by Yu Hua (image from the website of Editorial Males Herbes)[/caption]

 

Published the issue #9 of the Newsletter of the Catalan Engineers in China

The China Working Group of the College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia has released the issue 9 of their Newsletter. It can be read and downloaded in the previous link for from here below.



 

China, an attractive market for Cava wine

From http://spanish.china.org.cn/economic/txt/2013-10/24/content_30392743.htm (in Spanish)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="155"] Logo of Institut del Cava[/caption]

The big size of Chinese market and its quick growth has become very attractive for the cava wine producers, according to the president of the Institut del Cava, Jaume Gramona, in an exclusive interview for Xinhua (新华网), the official press agency of the People's Republic of China. Jaume Gramona explained that currently cava exports are mainly addressed to United States, United Kingdom and Belgium, but he has no doubt that China will also join that list in a near future.

In 2010, cava producers exported 95,349 bottles to China, that increased to 246,317 bottles in 2011 (increase by 158%) and to 370,300 bottles in 2012 (increase by an additional 50%). The cava sector started to export in 1980 and since then the number of bottles sold outside Spain hasn't stopped increasing, reaching 161 million bottles in 2012, that doubled the number sold in the home market, 81 million.

The headquarters of the Institut del Cava, an organization that groups most of the Spanish cava producers, are located in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (Barcelona province), since 95% of the cava production in Spain happens in Catalonia.

 

Barcelona appointed Guest of Honour at the 2014 Beijing Design Week

From http://www.catalannewsagency.com/culture/item/barcelona-will-be-guest-of-honour-at-the-2014-beijing-design-week (in English)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="52"] Beijing Design Week[/caption]

The city of Barcelona will be the Guest of Honour at the 2014 Beijing Design Week (BJDW). This festival is one of the biggest cultural events in China and will be attended by three and a half millon visitors. The news was announced by Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, Minister for Culture, Ferran Mascarell, and Director of the Ramon Llull Institute for Catalan Culture, Àlex Susanna. The event, held between late September and early October, is dedicated to Design, Architecture, Urbanism, and Contemporary Creation. Àlex Susanna insisted it was the most significant cultural project since Catalonia’s invitation to the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2007.

Chinese multinational corporation IFC Logistics sets in Catalonia

From http://barcelonacatalonia.cat/b/?p=6633&lang=en (in English)

IFC Logistics, a Chinese company specializing in international freight-management for top brands, has landed in the Ametlla Park industrial zone, 35 km from the city of Barcelona, and has leased a 3,000-square-meter warehouse to manage stock for some of the top international chains in the clothing, shoe and accessories sectors. The company acquires excess inventory from fashion brands, which they then sell at outlets around the world.

International Fashion Corporation Ltd (IFC), based in Hong Kong, is the mother company of a group of several corporations, which implement their business model in managing stock for some of the top international chains in the clothing, shoe and accessories sector. The company acquires excess inventory from fashion brands, which they then sell at outlets around the world.

Catalonia is currently the main logistics hub in southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It has a complete network of infrastructures with connections to all modes of transport, featuring the industrial and retail fabric with all the logistics services that international operators and import or export companies could need.

App to travel to China released by students of the Autonomous University of Barcelona

From http://trabajoenchina.org/aplicacion-para-viajar-a-china (in Spanish)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="154"] Image of the Survival Guide in China from the iTunes website[/caption]

Students from the Master Course on Travel Journalism from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) have released a smartphone application with tips and other relevant information for the people willing to travel to China. The application, called Survival Guide in China, is free and is available for iPhone and Android and it is available in Catalan, Spanish, English, Portuguese and French.

The categories that contain the information are Tips, Gastronomy, Shopping, Religion, Nightlife, Culture and Language, and they it has been collected by the students themselves when they travelled to China, also taking the pictures and filming the videos.

Download the application for Android from the Play Store or for iPhone from iTunes.

Tèxtil Balaguer travels back from China to Catalonia

From http://www.elpuntavui.cat/noticia/article/4-economia/18-economia/643008-el-2009-vam-aturar-la-comanda-a-la-xina.html (in Catalan)

Tèxtil Balaguer, based in Caldes de Montbui (Barcelona province) and specialized in producing fabrics for the production of shirts, has celebrated in 2013 its 50th anniversary and has some 50 workers. As explained by company's CEO, Jaume Balaguer, in 2003 they started to buy products from China to later sell at good price in Catalonia, while they only took some urgent orders in their factory, a strategy that lasted for six years. But in 2009 they reversed the trend, stopped importing textiles from China and resumed again the full production in Caldes de Montbui and, when needed, outsourcing some of their production to other textile industries in the Bages and Vallès counties, also in Barcelona province. Even though they still do some occasional import from China, Jaume Balaguer explains that the main problems were the big orders they had to pass at least 3 months in advance, when maybe not all the contracts at local level had been signed, plus the increase of the labor costs in South East Asia and the trend to have smaller and more diverse productions. These are the reasons that have brought Tèxtil Balaguer, a company that in 2005 was producing 70% of their textiles in China, to travel back to Catalonia and to focus here the bigger part of their production.

Wines from Celler Laurona well received in China

From https://www.facebook.com/CellerLaurona/posts/614707951900787

[caption id="attachment_2666" align="alignleft" width="288"] Celler Laurona wine succeeds in the 3rd Grand Tasting of the Top Wines from Spain (image from the Facebook profile of EMW - Grandes Vinos de España)[/caption]

Celler Laurona, from Falset (Tarragona province) and belonging to the DO Montsant (wine region), has recently had a successful experience in a showcase of Spanish wines at the Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel. The event was entitled 3rd Grand Tasting of the Top Wines from Spain and took place on October 14th, 2013. In the picture, a buyer from the COFCO Group (中粮集团) shows interest on one of the Celler Laurona wines.

Workshop about the gourmet food products in Asia organized in Girona

From http://agenda.acc10.cat/agenda/default.php?id=9799 (in Catalan)

This session is scheduled in the framework of the Internationalization Week of ACCIÓ (7-11 October 2013).

Without a doubt, Asia has become one of the main economic actors of our time with the 50% of the planet's population and 25% of the world's GDP. Asia also has two countries with population over 1 billion people, one of them being China with an annual growth of 9%. There are also 4 countries with population over 100 million people, like Japan, with an economy equivalent to those of Germany, France and United Kingdom together. Other countries have smaller populations, but they have an important economic growth and a high income per capita, like South Korea.

The goal of this session is to use the knowledge about Asia of the ACCIÓ experts to inform the attendants about the main features of the most dynamic markets of this region. The food sector offers good business perspectives for the import products that can be classified as gourmet.

Program

09.15h Reception of attendants

09.35h Welcome address by Ferran Roquer, Director of the office in Girona of the Catalan Ministry for Business and Labour

09.45h Conference “Asia, the big continent to be explored” by Claudia Danesi, Head of Asia-Pacific of ACCIÓ

10.00h Conference "Japan, the gourmet traditional market in Asia" by Yoshiyuki Iwahashi, Director of the Business Promotion Centre in Tokio

10.20h Conference "South Korea, opportunities of a new market" by Josep Maria Coll, Director of the Business Promotion Centre in Seoul

10.45h Coffee break

11.00h Conference "Online sales of gourmet products in China", by Taowen Xue, Director of the Business Promotion Centre in Shanghai

11.20h Conference "Hong Kong, the window shop of gourmet products in China", by Madrona Marcet, Director of the Business Promotion Centre in Hong Kong

11.45h Questions & Answers

12.00h Presentation of the Catalonia Gourmet Cluster, by Marta Amorós, Manager of the Catalonia Gourmet Cluster

12.05h Networking between the attendants and the directors of the Business Promotion Centres

12.45h End of the session

The event will take place at the ACCIÓ headquarters in Girona, Pompeu Fabra Square, 1.