The Global Tour Exhibition (Ethiopia) event, themed Journey Through Civilizations – An Encounter with Liangzhu, has showcased the rich cultural heritage of the ancient Liangzhu city in China.
The ten-day touring exhibition, which concluded on Friday with a grand ceremony in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, aimed to promote spiritual and cultural exchanges between the two ancient civilizations.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Rita Bissoonauth, director of the Liaison Office of UNESCO with the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and representative from UNESCO to Ethiopia highly appreciated the interaction and mutual learning between the two ancient civilizations of China and Ethiopia.
"This event today here is about the cultural exchange between China and Ethiopia. Both are ancient civilizations, and both cultures and both countries have so much to contribute, so much to share. It is just not only talking, exchanging, but connecting with the other people, understanding how other people live, how other people feel," she added.
In terms of cultural resonance, Ana Alma, a young Ethiopian artist who was born and raised in Beijing, shared the story of her connection with China through a painting based on Liangzhu culture.
"Today I want to introduce my painting. I used the Liangzhu style and combined it with Ethiopian colors to create a painting that is a mixture of the two cultures. The colors I used are red, yellow and green, which are the colors of Ethiopia, and red is also a very important color in Chinese culture. This painting is very important to me, because although I am Ethiopian and my father is also Ethiopian, I was born in Beijing and grew up in China. I have been in Beijing for 17 years. Beijing is my hometown," said Ana at the closing ceremony.
Director of the National Museum of Ethiopia Gomaye also concluded: "It is important to introduce the history of China to Ethiopian people. The Chinese history is part of our curriculum. We learn in high schools about the Chinese civilization, so it is a good advantage for us to see some important artifacts of the Chinese exhibition."
The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, located in east China's Zhejiang Province, have gained worldwide recognition as bearing testimony to the existence of at least 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. They were inscribed on the World Heritage List as a cultural site in 2019.
At the end of the ceremony, the China Media Group (CMD) launched its project of Digital Museum Africa.
Ethiopia special exhibition features rich cultural heritage of ancient Liangzhu city in China
Many Singaporeans support raising the re-employment age, partly to stay busy and active in retirement, and to help address demographic challenges in the workforce.
Like many other Asian countries, Singapore is grappling with a rapidly aging population. The government predicts that by 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 or older, up from one in 10 two decades ago.
A survey on retirement and employment conducted last year in the country found broad support for raising the national retirement age, with about 88 percent of those aged 50 and above in favor.
Some supported increasing the retirement age because continuing to do what they love, rather than retiring, keeps them feeling youthful and fulfilled.
When Nancy Hor, a retired IT operations manager, left her job five years ago, she wasn't sure how to fill her time.
"I'm a workaholic. At the very first stage after I retired, I felt I could not find balance," she said.
Hor, now 70, said it took her some time to adjust. In her spare time, she stays busy line dancing and spending time with her family.
But she said that if she had had the choice, she would have liked to stay employed a little longer.
"I think it's good for the elderly that even they have some job to do, and keep them busy," said Hor.
In March, authorities announced plans to raise the retirement age to 64 and the re-employment age to 69 by 2026.
Singapore's Minister of State for Manpower, Gan Siow Huang, said the changes to the rules protect senior workers from dismissal due to age-related issues before they reach the statutory retirement age. Employers are also required to offer re-employment to eligible workers until they reach the statutory re-employment age limit.
This follows a similar move made two years ago to raise the retirement and re-employment ages to 63 and 68, respectively. The city-state is also aiming for a retirement age of 65 and a re-employment age of 70 by 2030.
"That is to reduce the impact on businesses, so it gives time for businesses to adapt their policy. This gradual increase in retirement age basically provides a framework for individuals like myself, who want to continue to be gainfully employed," said Patrick Chang, a retirement planning specialist and the author of the A to Z guide to retirement planning.
Chang said that businesses will need to make adjustments to accommodate the changes, including offering retraining for senior workers.
He noted that the changes won't impact those who still wish to retire earlier, but given Singapore's demographic challenges, the country cannot afford to remain idle.
"If we don't do it now, the social cost could be high. We cannot wait until the time when we need it today, and then we get something done. It will probably be a bit too late, and the cost of getting to that solution will be higher," said Chang.
Many Singaporeans support raising retirement, re-employment ages
