Guo Degang, a popular Chinese traditional crosstalk performer, signed a letter of agreement last Thursday with the National Museum of Australia (NWA) to become the museum's cultural ambassador¹ in China.

上周四，中国颇受欢迎的传统相声演员郭德纲与澳大利亚国家博物馆（NWA）签署了一份协议书，成为了该博物馆在中国的文化大使。

At the signing ceremony held at the NWA, Guo said he was honored to take the role.

在澳大利亚国家博物馆举行的签字仪式上，郭德纲表示自己很荣幸能够担任这个角色。

Under the agreement, Guo will promote the NMA's programs in China, the first of which will be a major exhibition of bark paintings on tour in China starting from July this year.

根据该协议，郭德纲将推动澳大利亚国家博物馆在中国的节目，其中第一项是将于今年7月开始在中国巡回演出的大型树皮画展。

It will be the first time that the bark paintings be exhibited outside Australia.

这将是第一次在澳大利亚境外展出树皮画。

Guo, a leading character in China's traditional crosstalk comedy and a household name in China, enjoys more than 68 million followers² on social media site Weibo.

中国传统相声的领军人物、家喻户晓的郭德纲在社交媒体网站新浪微博上拥有超过6800万名粉丝。

"Arts recognize no boundaries ... I think art is a very good bond to link people together and promote exchanges," Guo told Xinhua at the signing ceremony.

郭德纲在签字仪式上向新华社透露：“艺术不分国界，我认为艺术是把人们联系起来，促进交流的良好纽带。”

NWA Director Mathew Trinca said he found common ground in Guo's love of traditional Chinese art and his museum's enthusiasm in promoting Australia's traditional art.

澳大利亚国家博物馆馆长马修·特林卡表示，他在郭德纲对中国传统艺术的热爱，以及澳大利亚国家博物馆致力于推广澳大利亚传统艺术的热情中找到了共同点。

"The National Museum is committed to taking the Australian story to the world and we're delighted to partner with Mr Guo to help us reach Chinese audiences," said Trinca.

特林卡称：“澳大利亚国家博物馆致力于把澳大利亚的故事带到世界各地，我们很高兴与郭先生合作，以此来帮助我们接触到中国观众。”