Chinese pianist Lang Lang (left) is named image ambassador of the China-Latin America Culture Year during a press conference of the event in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 26, 2015. March marks the start of the China-Latin America Culture Year, a program that will boost cultural exchanges between China and nearly 30 Latin American countries, the Ministry of Culture announced Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2016 China-Latin America Cultural Exchange Year will be launched in late March at the Beijing Tianqiao Art Center with a ceremony that will include performances by artists from Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Peru, the Ministry of Culture said Tuesday.

As the biggest ever all-year-round cultural exchange program between China and Latin America, the event will involve nearly 30 Latin America and Caribbean countries. Hundreds of activities, such as performances, exhibitions, movie screenings, tourism promotions and literary events will be held to enhance the understanding and friendship between Chinese and Latin American people. This also will be done through exchanges in the fields of literature, art, historical heritage, films, books, media and travel.

Apart from the activities, there also will be cultural exchanges between academic institutions, universities and artists. Seminars, translation contests and lectures will be on the agenda, according to Zhu Qi, vice director of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of China’s Culture Ministry.

The well-known Chinese pianist Lang Lang was named image ambassador for the event. In August he will go to Chile, Argentina and other countries in the region for touring performances and join “Chinese Culture Talk” to give lectures to Latin American teenagers.

“It’s very meaningful for me to be the image ambassador of the culture exchange year. I will try my best to contribute to the cultural exchange and friendship between our peoples,” Lang said.

“The passion and love for music and the life of the Latin American people left a deep impression on me, which also comforted me when I was tired from my tight schedule during my tour of Columbia, Mexico, Chili and Peru in 2013,” he added.

The culture exchange year was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in July 2014 when he attended the China-Latin America and the Caribbean Summit in Brasilia.