Monique Knapen has studied social history at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. She also followed Sinology courses at Leiden University and Beijing University. Over 30 years ago, she lived and worked in China for 6 years.
Between 2009 and 2017, Monique worked as the Program Director for China at Dutch Culture. Dutch Culture is the policymaking and executing partner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 2017, she co-founded China Connector. In the last few years, China Connector has been coordinating a lot of exciting projects in the art and culture sector between The Netherlands and China. At the moment, Monique is the Country Coordinator for Business of Design Week 2023 in Hong Kong. The theme this year is “circular design”.
In March 2023, together with other co-founders, Monique launched an innovative digital platform called Curated By. Curated By is a contemporary art platform that showcases the works of emerging artists from both China and abroad.
In this podcast, Monique shared with us about her experiences of living in China as an exchange student and working with Chinese radio stations to share western music with the Chinese audience in the 90s. She shared about the challenges and enrichment of working and connecting with Chinese people in her career and in all kinds of roles.
“China changed my life!”, Monique told me. That’s why she decided to lead VNC as the new chairman in October 2022. VNC, in Dutch, is Vereniging Nederland China, in English Association Netherlands China. Through VNC Monique wants to put effort into stimulating dialogues, strengthening cultural exchanges, and helping people from The Netherlands and China learn to better understand each other and collaborate with each other.
On April 4, 11, and 18, VNC has planned a fascinating masterclass series about China. Two very seasoned China Experts, Frans Greidanus and Lianne Baaij will share in-depth knowledge about China.
Please visit the website of VNC China to find out all the information about this masterclass series and other exciting activities they organize in the coming period, about China, Chinese culture, and many other interesting themes.
LinkedIn Monique Knapen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniqueknapen/
Website China Connector: https://www.chinaconnector.nl/
Website Curated By: https://www.curatedby.art/
Website VNC China: https://www.vnc-china.nl/
You can watch or listen to the podcast on the following platforms:
🌱 YouTube: https://youtu.be/4aaHDpMVhHE
🌱Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/23MDLHw0ZIZEo05AsNhwjq
🌱 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-cultures-our-world/id1650591999
🌱 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMDY5NTYxLnJzcw
More information about Our Cultures & Our World Podcast: https://iibboo.com/podcast/
Music from Waldemar Moes: "Chinese Waltz"