Zhang Xu, cultural and tourism vice-minister, speaks at the opening ceremony. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

The Culture City of East Asia 2019 opened in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, March 27.

Zhang Xu, China’s cultural and tourism vice-minister, Hu Minglang, vice-governor of Shaanxi province, Li Mingyuan, vice-secretary of Xi'an Municipal Committee of CPC and mayor of Xi'an,attended the event. Representatives from selected cities of China, Japan and South Korea, and other guests from home and abroad in the field of culture and tourism were present at the opening ceremony.

Zhang said the Culture City of East Asia serves as the major fruit of the strengthened cooperation in the cultural field thanks to the establishment of mechanism of the trilateral meetings of leaders of China, Japan, and South Korea. It has built a broad platform for city development and the strengthening of international exchanges.

Zhang hoped that Xi'an would seize the historic opportunity of being designated as the Culture City of East Asia, promote its development with the integration of culture and tourism, enhance the level of cultural exchanges with foreign countries, further deepen the understanding and friendship between East Asia and the rest of the world, and play an active role in building a community of shared future.

Representatives from the Culture Cities of East Asia 2019 in China (Xi’an), South Korea (Incheon) and Japan (Toshima-ku), delivered speeches, respectively.