The Goethe-Institut announced at its annual press conference on Monday in Berlin that it would be setting up shop in Baku, Azerbaijan and Yerevan, Armenia, in the coming year. The German parliament has reserved three million euros for the branches, which would host language courses and cultural programming. The organization already runs 159 institutes in 98 countries.

There is still time for China to reroute its current trajectory from strengthening its hard power to loosening its soft power nerves. A great number of people wish to learn more and understand the Chinese culture. However, at the same time, they also wish for a China that is welcoming and does not feel victimized by foreign powers, because, the end of the day, all that we ever want is to experience A Bite of China.

In an effort to increase China’s culture-focused soft power and to secure an international environment conducive to its development and to generate goodwill abroad alongside its economic rise, Confucius Institutes were established as part of China’s "going out" strategy. [...] What has attracted far less attention but plays the same role is the China Cultural Center under the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

“Macao is a place where cultures from the East and West are orchestrated into a beautiful symphony. […] The synergy between culture and tourism enriches visitors’ experience in Macao, and steers the tourism industry and the cultural and creative industry towards sustainable development, ultimately supporting Macao’s quest to become a world center of tourism and leisure,” said Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, president of the festival organizing committee.

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor 75 years ago, museum directors across the nation had a decision to make: Should they continue to exhibit the Japanese Friendship Dolls given to the United States by the children of Japan 14 years earlier? It is thought that only one, Harry Davis of the N.C. State Museum, chose to leave the elegantly dressed, handmade wooden doll at his museum on display.

The song playing was Taylor Swift’s ode to young adulthood, which is something of an anthem for American millennials. The lyrics transform an unexciting age into an identity, the uncertainty of youth into a celebration. [...] The song set the tone for that night and cemented what became a steadfast friendship among us, students from different continents with traits more different than similar.
 

As Hollywood comes to China in desperate search of new, lucrative audiences, China is desperate to harness something of the elusive magic. If it can build its own film industry, the argument goes, it can use it to develop its so-called "soft power", in the same way US movies have carried American values and norms around the world for a century or more.

The J-1 visa programme that allows Irish students work for 12 months in the US is being extended for another three years under a new agreement signed by the Irish Government with the State Department.