The China International Youth Exchange Center (CIYEC) launched the International Youth Saloon on Feb 2 in Beijing, and held its first exchange activity.

Li Nina, freestyle skiing world champion and Beijing 2022 Ambassador; Huang Rihan, a professor at Huaqiao University; Aiken Zou Shasha, Founder and CEO of AHA Entertainment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and a young global leader at the World Economic Forum in Davos; and Liu Bo, a first-class artist and doctoral supervisor at the China National Academy of Arts, attended the event with the theme, “Youth Together For a Shared Future”, and exchanged views with international students in China.

The International Youth Saloon is an important measure of the CIYEC to promote people-to-people exchanges among youth from China and abroad. It will regularly hold various thematic events for sharing different views, to establish platforms for communication and mutual learning, empower youth development and facilitate the cultivation of young talents with cross-cultural communication abilities and global competence.

Li shared her experiences and thoughts as a skier, demonstrating the sports spirit of Chinese players in overcoming difficulties and making progress. Huang talked about his insights into international youth exchanges and expressed his hope that the youth will enhance mutual understanding through communication and interaction. He encouraged international students to travel more in China and gain a more comprehensive view of the country. Zou showed the students China’s domestically produced animation Scissor Seven, released to the public for the first time by Netflix, showcasing the spread of Chinese culture overseas. Noting that art serves as an important bridge for youth exchanges, Liu conveyed the essence of traditional Chinese culture to the international students by sharing his personal story and showcasing China’s poetry, calligraphy and painting.

Vietnamese student with the Chinese name Zhang Manman studying at the Renmin University of China said that the event was very impressive and she benefited a lot from it. Through the sharing of traditional Chinese culture, skiing experiences and animation development, she deeply felt the richness and diversity of the Chinese culture, she added.

Russian student with the Chinese name Ma Jiankai from the Beijing Film Academy said that the presentations of the guests greatly inspired him and ignited his determination to pursue excellence in his professional field in the future.

This event not only broadened their horizons and expanded their thinking, but also deepened their understanding of China, according to participating international students. They expressed hope to become ambassadors for cultural exchanges between China and other countries in the future.

Liu Aiping, Chairman of the Governing Council of the CIYEC, and Chen Peng, Deputy Director of the CIYEC, also attended the event, and presented commemorative certificates to the Chinese guests.