Queen Margrethe II (left) of Denmark and Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, read Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale The Ugly Duckling at the opening ceremony of "Little Fairy Tale, Big Future" – The Danish Cultural Season at the Chinese Museum of Women and Children in Beijing

Q: What will the Danish Cultural Center in Beijing focus on?

Marianne Jelved: If we take a global view of Danish Cultural Centers in other countries, we can see that one consistent feature is that they take root in local communities and branch out, forming a sturdy network. They have to do this to gain the biggest advantage in cooperation with local cultural institutions and players. Only through working with cultural counterparts can the centers grow and bear fruit. The success of the Danish Cultural Season, which opened on October 24 and will run until June 2015, is down to effective cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Culture. An important mission for the Danish Cultural Center in Beijing is to promote more collaboration between Denmark and China. Such a relationship, however, cannot be developed overnight. It needs a foundation of profound understanding and respect for Chinese people and culture.

Q: The Cultural Season is the largest Danish cultural event since diplomatic ties between the two countries were established. What was the initial thinking behind the event? And will it become a regular feature on the cultural calendar?

Marianne Jelved: The Danish Cultural Season will last 10 months and will see events throughout China. One of our aims is to enable artists from Denmark and China to inspire and learn from each other. Our cultural communication will not end with the Cultural Season. We take a long-term view on cultural exchanges.

Q: What other collaborations are planned in the field of culture between Denmark and China?

Marianne Jelved: Next year we will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. In those 65 years, we have observed uninterrupted interaction between our two countries. But we are also willing to go deeper with China, especially in culture. Cultural interaction is built on a foundation of mutual trust and understanding between the two peoples, which is also an essential part of bilateral cooperation as a whole.