Jakob Frímann marvels at China’s transformation

Jakob Frímann Magnússon says China has changed dramatically since he first visited with the Icelandic band Stuðmenn 40 years ago, mbl.is reports. He described the country he saw on a recent visit as “one of the most developed and impressive” societies he had encountered.

Stuðmenn were invited to tour China for 17 days in 1986, followed by a week in Hong Kong, which was then under British rule. The band made a documentary about the tour with the BBC, and Chinese television wants to screen it to mark the anniversary.

Magnússon recalled seeing widespread poverty, people travelling by bicycle and crowds treating the band as a curiosity. The concerts, however, drew tens of thousands of people, with venues sold out on the day tickets went on sale. He said young audiences were eager to catch a glimpse of the West.

On his latest trip, Magnússon was invited to give a lecture at an international conference in Tianjin, a city about half an hour from Beijing. He travelled there by high-speed train, which he said reached 300 kilometres per hour.

The conference brought together current and former representatives of national parliaments and local governments from 52 countries to discuss cooperation on culture and development in support of peace and culture.

Magnússon spoke about Icelandic literature, including Snorri Sturluson, the Icelandic sagas, Nobel Prize-winning writer Halldór Laxness and Gunnar Gunnarsson. He also discussed musicians and bands including Björk, Sigur Rós, Laufey and Kaleo.

He outlined legislation he helped advance to recognise intellectual property as equivalent to other forms of property. Laws that took effect on January 1, 2020, put income from intellectual property, royalties and performers’ fees on the same tax footing as income from other assets, including property rentals. Magnússon said Iceland was the first country to adopt this approach.

He also discussed Record in Iceland, a scheme that offers a 25 per cent reimbursement of recording costs and related computer-production costs.