Students from China and Germany attend the Black Forest Arts and Cultural Festival in Freudenstadt, Germany. Over the past five years, more than 400 Chinese teenagers have taken part in the event. This year, the event coincides with the China-Germany Year of Student and Youth Exchange. [Photos/China Daily]

Black Forest event helps youths gain understandings with music.

This summer, a group of Chinese teenaged art enthusiasts will take part in the sixth annual Black Forest Arts and Cultural Festival in Freudenstadt, Germany.

The festival, to be held in July and sponsored by China Daily Education Special and the Beijing Silk Road Culture International Exchange Center, is a cultural exchange for teenagers from the two countries. Over the past five festivals, more than 400 Chinese participated in each event.

The two nations established a strategic partnership and long-term bilateral relations in 2014.

On March 21, leaders of the two countries attended the opening ceremony of the China-Germany Year of Student and Youth Exchange in Beijing.

Chinese and German teenagers will play various musical instruments together, including the piano and cello as well as traditional Chinese instruments such as the hulusi, a kind of wind instrument. German teenagers will also teach their Chinese peers about their traditional dances, while the Chinese teens are expected to hold kung fu performances and demonstrate how to write calligraphy.

Michael Clauss, the German ambassador to China, said he expects many Chinese and German teenagers to discover the dazzling variety of cultures far beyond stereotypes.

"Nothing is more valuable than a face-to-face encounter with teenagers from another country. That's why we promote exchanges between China and Germany," he said.

Chinese parents that China Daily spoke with said they expect their children to improve how they communicate with foreign peers. They said many Chinese students prefer to keep to themselves rather than socialize with others.

Chinese participants are expected to study Western manners, German arts and outdoor sports activities.

Clauss said Chinese students are more focused on their studies and have less spare time. He called their self-discipline impressive and said German teenagers tend to be "carefree".

"They do sports, play music and try to find their own way in life," he said.

"I personally think that self-determination and self-discipline don't conflict. That is why I think that Chinese and German teenagers can learn a lot from each other," he said.