VZCZCXRO5311
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHGZ #0646 3270224
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230224Z NOV 09
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1121
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE 0358
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0897
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0289
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0290
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 0299
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0338
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC 0334

UNCLAS GUANGZHOU 000646 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, EAP/PD AND INR/EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI SCUL PREL ETRD PGOV SENV OPRC CH XA
SUBJECT: American Culture Week A Big Hit at Xiamen University 
(U) This document is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly.  Not for release outside U.S. government channels.  Not 
for internet publication. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  ConGen Guangzhou hosted its first ever "American 
Culture Week" at Xiamen University's School of Humanities from 
November 9-13.  Despite pressure from the University's Foreign 
Affairs Office to cancel the program, including the Consul General's 
opening speech highlighting the President's then impending visit, a 
professor at the university prevailed and allowed the Consulate 
access for five full days of public diplomacy programming.  The 
program was so well-attended that two additional academic 
institutions, to which the Consulate had never been permitted 
access, invited PASOff to speak during the same week.  ConGen 
Guangzhou will use the week's activities as a model for programming 
similar culture weeks at universities in Hainan and Guangdong 
provinces in the next six months. END SUMMARY. 
Making a Splash at one of China's Top Universities 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶2.  (U) Xiamen University (Xiada) is one of China's "211" 
universities- i.e. one of the government-designated 100 best 
universities in the 21st century- and is regarded as one of China's 
top 20 universities.  The week kicked off with an opening ceremony 
and remarks delivered by the Consul General to about 100 students 
and faculty, highlighting the President's then imminent arrival as 
well as American culture. During the week PASOff lectured on "What 
is American Culture?;" hosted five discussions following the School 
of Humanities' screenings of Mona Lisa Smile, In the Wild, Forrest 
Gump, Gran Torino, and Dead Poets Society; participated in panel 
discussions on Henry David Thoreau and American Individualism, 
America's Cultural Personality: Optimism and Creativity, the 
American Financial System, and American Evolution: How Social 
Distinctiveness Influenced Traditional Values; and toured Xiada's 
main and Zhangzhou campus libraries to discuss American Corners, 
increasing cooperation and access to Public Affairs IRC resources, 
and possible programming of American culture events. Total 
attendance at the week's events was 920 people. 
Welcome to Xiamen -- Sort Of 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) While no activities were interrupted or cancelled, the 
school's Foreign Affairs Office (FAO), heavily scrutinized all 
events.  Bowing to pressure, the Dean of the Humanities School 
dropped out of the opening ceremony at the last minute.  The 
Chinese-American professor who was the driving force behind getting 
the Consulate access reported that he faced strong pressure to 
disinvite the Consul General from the opening ceremony (but refused 
to do so).  Two FAO representatives attended the first day of 
programs and the professor who helped PAS organize the programming 
reported that the FAO was requiring him to produce a report on all 
Consulate activities in Xiamen (which he also flatly refused to do). 
 
Collateral Rewards 
------------------ 
 
¶4. (U) Guangzhou had never been granted access to the Xiamen 
University of Technology or Yuntai High School, but teachers from 
both schools attended PASOff's first lecture and then promptly 
invited her to speak at their respective schools. Four days later, 
PASOff spoke at Yuntai High School to 40 high school students about 
American culture and U.S. higher education and then traveled to 
Xiamen University of Technology and spoke to more than 200 students 
in the Foreign Languages School.  Both visits ended with applause 
and invitations to return to do further programming. 
Will There Be a Next Time? 
-------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: While American Culture Week was popular with 
Chinese students and professors, it is still too early to tell 
whether it will reduce Fujian FAO suspicions of public diplomacy 
initiatives and lead to increased access to universities in Fujian. 
END COMMENT. 
GOLDBECK