Innovations workshop marks 60 years of bilateral ties

By Liang Meilan

Sweden and China celebrated six decades of diplomatic relations this month with a series of events, including the launch of Sweden’s first official website for Chinese users, an innovation workshop and a technology exhibition.

A workshop participant introduces the multifunctional hook she designed. Photo by Jeffrey Lan

First among websites

Sweden was the first Western country to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic, so it is fitting that it also be the first to launch a website specifically designed for Chinese users.

Sweden.cn was unveiled May 15 at D Lounge club in Sanlitun by Swedish Ambassador Mikael Lindstrom and Stefan Geens, the site designer and chief creative director of the Shanghai Expo’s Sweden Pavilion.

“There is much information on various countries in Chinese on the Internet. But this is the first time that someone has made the site in China, made it the way Chinese people want and put it on a Chinese server,” Lindstrom said.

Like consumer products such as soft drinks and computers, a country should also have a website to showcase its “brand value,” Geens said. “Only through daily updated information online can we let others know the country more intimately … Chinese people have a positive image of Sweden, but they don’t know much about the country, therefore the website is really needed.”

The site allows netizens to listen to popular Swedish music; find information about study, work, business and travel in the Scandinavian country; learn about its famed designers, fashion icons, athletes, inventions and even recipes. The articles are original Chinese pieces and not merely translations of English or Swedish, Geens said.

He said users can “collect” their favorite parts of Sweden.cn and share them on Chinese social-networking sites like Douban, Kaixin001 and Renren. He said the site is independent of the Swedish Embassy’s own website.