The exciting video of the 8th China-Africa Youth Festival(click to watch)
From May 22 to 26, a series of activities for the 8th China-Africa Youth Festival were held in Jinhua, Zhejiang province. Sixty-four African youths from 52 member countries of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation visited various locations in Jinhua, Wuyi county, Dongyang city and Yiwu city. They explored urban and rural areas, enterprises, campuses, observing local industrial development, rural revitalization, grassroots democracy, experiences in creating shared prosperity, experiencing traditional Chinese culture, witnessing China's modernization achievements, participating in youth dialogues, and sharing their experiences and expectations in jointly building modernization in China and Africa.
At the welcoming ceremony, Zhu Chonglie, Secretary of the Jinhua Municipal Party Committee; Zhao Xiyuan, Minister Counselor of the African Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Chen Jiangfeng, Deputy Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, delivered speeches. Youth representatives expressed their commitment to inheriting China-Africa friendship through practical actions, jointly promoting youth exchanges and cooperation, and demonstrating youth responsibilities in building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared destiny.
The African youths visited local political consultative conference halls and people's congress representative liaison stations to observe grassroots democratic practices. At the people's congress representative liaison station in Tantou village, political consultative conference members and representatives of returning entrepreneurs were discussing preferential policies, communication platforms, and tourist experiences, with active responses from participating departments and township leaders.
In Wuyi county, the legislative drafting department was conducting a research symposium on the "post-Chen experience," seeking opinions and suggestions from people's congress representatives. Representatives also met with the public, listening to their needs and expectations face-to-face. The dynamic process of consultative democracy left the African youths in awe. Barma from Niger listened attentively, expressing his understanding of Chinese-style democracy: "Whether at the national or local level, the priority is always the people's interests. The people's congress representative liaison station closely connects the people and the government, facilitating smooth dialogue, making it a crucial platform." Gisso from Burkina Faso remarked, "This visit has shown us grassroots work scenes, which are very enlightening. I hope to introduce such practices to my country."
Zhejiang Normal University's Institute of African Studies, the first comprehensive African research institute established by a Chinese university, provided African youths with insights into academic achievements in African studies and the historical exchanges between China and Africa in politics, economy, culture, and arts. African youths also visited the engineering laboratory at Zhejiang Normal University, where they simulated being "subway drivers" in a mock cockpit. Joseph from Tanzania commented, "Such simulation tools can provide professional training for railway drivers before they take up their positions, which is greatly needed in our country. I hope Zhejiang Normal University can explore cooperation with our country's railway department."
Visiting the showroom and factory of the modernized enterprise Lixiang Motors, African youths enthusiastically test-drove the cars, praising the exquisite interiors and strong performance. The modern production line sparked their curiosity, leading them to inquire about design concepts, battery life, charging speeds, etc., hoping to bring this knowledge back to their countries. Hagim from Libya remarked, "New energy vehicles are the trend. If our country wants to develop new energy vehicles in the future, Chinese companies have a lot of cutting-edge technologies worth learning from."
Yiwu is well-known to African youth, as Yiwu goods are distributed across various countries in Africa. Upon visiting Yiwu International Trade City, the youth were impressed by the vast array of products. Mokheti from Lesotho exclaimed, "The scale of this market is immense, with goods being sent worldwide; it's truly incredible."
African youth experienced the "shared prosperity" model of creating a demonstration area for shared prosperity at Baxian Jidao. They wrote blessings by hand on Wucheng Ancient Street, conveying good wishes alongside Chinese youths; they experienced traditional Chinese culture such as embroidery and Tai Chi to the accompaniment of Chinese classical music, engaging in exchanges with local residents and sharing life experiences.
Wuju opera, a traditional drama popular in the Jinhua region, is listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage. Actors from the Chinese Wuju Opera Theater presented a splendid performance for the African youths, eliciting bursts of applause from the audience. Danny from Rwanda, dressed in traditional attire, performed his country's traditional dance on stage. He said, "This is a collision of two cultures, and I look forward to Chinese youths visiting my country to experience our customs."
African youths visited the "Qinwang Palace" scenic area in Hengdian Film and Television City in Dongyang, learning about the history of Hengdian Film and Television City and the current status of cultural tourism economy. They were greatly surprised by Hengdian's transformation from an unknown mountain city to the "Oriental Hollywood," and they praised the development of the film and television industry. Tebogo Mokoto from Botswana even participated in a live performance, interpreting the story of "Mao Sui's Self-Recommendation" with Chinese actors, receiving thunderous applause.
During a visit to the Woodcarving Art Museum at Zhejiang Vocational College of Construction, which coincided with "Africa Day," African students at the school, along with their Chinese counterparts, sang "Jasmine" in fluent Chinese to commemorate this special day. African youths engaged in woodcarving, creating peony woodcarving pendants by hand. Sara from Egypt thought of the handicrafts in her homeland: "Egypt also has similar carving techniques, with shared cultures and unique aspects. In Jinhua, traditional art has been turned into a local industry, blending civilization and economy."
On May 26, the China-Africa Youth Dialogue was held in Yiwu. Youth representatives from various fields such as politics, business, healthcare, and education in China and Africa spoke on topics such as China-Africa cooperation, youth development, and modernization. Following the dialogue, a closing ceremony was held, with speeches from Zhang Xuewei, Vice Chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Zhang Jiming, Secretary-General of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, and three Chinese and African youth representatives. Chinese and African youth expressed their determination to become ambassadors for friendly cooperation between China and Africa, actively engage in friendly exchanges and cultural dissemination, tell the stories of China and Africa well, and strengthen the enduring friendship between China and Africa. They also pledged to continue working diligently in their respective fields and positions, promoting peace, mutual benefit, and shared prosperity between China and Africa in modernization. African and Chinese youths jointly issued a call for close unity, active engagement in friendly endeavors, spirit of friendly cooperation between China and Africa, and contribution of youthful energy to jointly build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared destiny.
(Source: Department of International Cooperation and Exchange, CSCLF)
