A Mid-Autumn Festival-themed cultural exchange event for young people was held on Thursday in Kunming, the capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province, gathering Chinese college students and their international peers to immerse themselves in traditional customs of the festival while deepening friendships and enhancing mutual understanding of different cultures.
The Mid-Autumn Festival in China is a celebration honoring the moon and harvest, serving as an occasion for family and friends to reunite, enjoy mooncakes, and admire the moon. This year's festival falls on Tuesday.
International students and diplomats from countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia, along with local Chinese college students, gathered at the event to celebrate the festival.
The event featured a launch ceremony, forums, singing and dance performances, and cultural activities.
"Such festive celebrations benefit young people, not only from Cambodia and China, by giving them the opportunity to learn more about traditional Chinese festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival. As this year marks the Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year, we will continue to promote each other's cultures and strive for a better shared future," said Hour Sophara, consul general of Cambodia in Kunming.
During the event, students engaged in diverse cultural activities, exploring the historical origins and traditional customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival. They also delved into various aspects of Chinese traditional culture, including mooncake making, sugar painting, lacquer fan painting, calligraphy, tea whisking, and flower arranging.
"Chinese and Vietnamese cultures are very similar and share many common elements. In Vietnam, we also celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival by eating mooncakes, and it’s considered a festival for family reunions. Participating in such an event in China today has made me feel very warm, and I also miss my home a lot," said Pham Phuong Thao, an international student from Vietnam.
"My first impression is like you really respect your culture, really respect your traditions. It lets me my heart melt. It really gives us a great opportunity to get to know each other, to know Chinese culture and foreign culture. We need to communicate a lot," said Tsyrylenko Artem, an international student from Ukraine.
At the event, young representatives delivered speeches on their roles as cultural ambassadors in building a community with a shared future for mankind. They emphasized that understanding each other's cultures and cultivating mutual friendships are essential for achieving this goal.
Mid-Autumn Festival cultural exchange event unites Chinese, foreign youths in China's Yunnan
