Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
http://wsb.sh.gov.cn/wsb/2013english/SPAFFC/About_SPAFFC/u1ai19675.html
The Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SPAFFC) is a non-government organization for people-to-people exchanges with foreign countries. Its aim is to enhance friendship and understanding between the people of Shanghai and the people around the world, to promote mutually beneficial exchanges and cooperation ,and to safeguard world peace and to promote common development.
The SPAFFC was founded on 13th September 1956. It is one of the first local branches of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and Shanghai’s earliest organization engaged specially in people-to-people friendly exchanges with the people of other countries.
China’s Party and state leaders such as RUI Xingwen, JIANG Zemin, WU Bangguo, HUANG Ju and XI Jinping were its honorary presidents successively when working in Shanghai. MENG Bo, ZHAO Xingzhi,SU Buqing, LI Shoubao, ZHAO Yunjun and ZHOU Muyao were itspresidents successively.
Some prominent Chinese artists, successively writers and out scientists were the vice presidents of SPAFFC, including master mathematician and senior academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences SU Buqing, master dramatist HUANG Zuolin, master of modern Chinese painting and calligraphy LAI Shaoqi, modern Chinese cartoonist and writer FENG Zikai, composer and musician HE Luting, musician and composer MENG Bo, composer and pianist DING Shande, director and screenwriter ZHANG Junxiang, master of Beijing opera ZHOU Xinfang, Shaoxing opera performing YUAN Xuefen, pioneer of the movement of modern Chinese drama, playwrite and director XIONG Foxi, dramatist, proser and poet DU Xuan, novolist ZHOU Erfu, writers ZHONG Wangyang, TANG Tao, WU Qiang and CHEN Yusun, biochemist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences WANG Yinglai, and moden Chinese ethician ZHOU Yuanbing.
In pursuit of “friendship, cooperation, peace and development”, the SPAFFC has been persisting in enhancing people’s friendship as its primary work, making friends all over the world and carrying out all-directional, wide-ranging and multi-channel people-to-people friendly exchanges and cooperation. The cooperation and exchange have been gradually entended to the fields of politics, economy, culture, education, personnel training, science and technology, health care, municipal construction, transportation, environmental protection, law, youth and children, women, aged people, civil affairs and social welfare. In the past fifty years, the SPAFFC has received over 8000 delegations totaling 120,000 people from more than 100 countries, including leaders of foreign states, governments, parliaments, parties, organizations, former state and government leaders, eminent personages, delegations and friends from foreign organizations for friendship with China, social institutions, cultural and art troupes and artists, business leaders and personages, primary and middle school students, etc. In the same time, it has hosted over 100 foreign prestigious art troups that came to Shanghai on performing tours, including ballet troupes, circuses, symphony orchestras, song and dance troupes, art troupes and film delegations. It has sponsored and organized hundreds of exhibitions featuring foreign paintings, pictures, photos, sculptures, calligraphy, arts and crafts, chahua (flower arrangement), costume and concerts. In collaboration with the departments cencernd in the city, the SPAFFC has sponsored in recent years a series of major international exchange events, such as Shanghai International Children’s Cultural and Art Festival, Shanghai International Little Ambassadors’ Music Summer Camp, Shanghai International Youth and Children Interactive Friendship Camp, Shanghai International Elders Cultural and Art Festival, etc.
