A group of 80 students and teachers from the U.S. state of Washington wrapped up a four-day visit to southwest China's Guizhou Province on Wednesday, with the activity-packed trip helping deepen their understanding of Chinese culture and promoting cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between the two sides.
During their visit to Taijiang County on Tuesday, the American students learned about a traditional reed-pipe wind instrument called the 'Lusheng', which features predominantly in the music of the Miao people and the wooden drum dance, a folk dance popular among the ethnic group. They also enjoyed a bite of the tasty Guizhou sour fish soup, local rice wine and experienced other diverse intangible cultural heritage from the area.
"It (Lusheng) is a very interesting instrument. I never knew about it until I came here and learned about it. And I really like it because it's pretty simple. It's like pretty easy to learn and I love the sound of it. It's really amazing," said Cryan McKee, a student from Tri-Cities High School.
"The most impressive for me, I would say that being able to gather here today and being able to experience [real culture] with the cooking, and I believe it was the sour soup that we learned to cook as well as joining in the drum dancing as well. That was something that was extremely special," said Rowan Hinds, a student from the Science and Math Institute in Tacoma.
Later on Tuesday evening, two basketball matches between local residents and the U.S. students gathered many tourists and neighboring villagers around the court to enjoy the fun international face-off amid a friendly atmosphere.
In addition, the young students also visited another picturesque village in the rural heart of Guizhou's Leishan County to experience the charm of local food and the ethnic Miao culture.
Organizers say the group are enjoying a comprehensive tour of China, helping to build bridges and friendships between the two peoples which they hope will have a lasting impact on these young participants.
"This time they would visit places, like Guizhou, Sichuan, Shandong, Beijing. The trip may allow them to plant a seed of Sino-US friendship from a young age and then gradually nurture them into strong pillars that will actively contribute to the robust and stable development of Sino-U.S. relation," said Shen Xin, vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
US students sample local ethnic culture in tour of southwest China's Guizhou
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
