The ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of the exhibition at the China Cultural Center in Tokyo on Oct 21, 2020. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

With its unique style and rich cultural history, the game of Go, or weiqi, has been attracting many fans. Since the Sino-Japanese Go Tournament in the 1980s attracted a large number of Go lovers, friendly exchanges and tournaments between China and Japan have also been on the rise.

On Oct 21, an exhibition focusing on the Sino-Japanese exchanges around weiqi, co-sponsored by the China Cultural Center and Shizuoka Branch of Japan Chess Academy, opened at the China Cultural Center in Tokyo.

Minister counselor Yang Yu of the Chinese Embassy in Japan, director of the China Cultural Center in Tokyo Luo Yuquan and other guests attended the opening ceremony.

Yang said in his speech that weiqi, as a point of cultural exchange between the two countries, has played an important role in the history of friendly exchanges between China and Japan.

Under the impact of COVID-19, cultural exchanges between China and Japan have been restricted. The Chinese Embassy in Japan will actively promote the early resumption of exchanges in the local, cultural, economic and other fields, and provide more support for personnel exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Japan.

Takuji Yanagimoto, a member of the Japanese Senate and president of the Go Culture Revitalization Alliance, has visited China more than 30 times. He expressed the hope the game would contribute to cultural exchange between China and Japan, as well as the friendship between the two countries from generation to generation.

This exhibition mainly displays the history of weiqi communications between East China's Zhejiang province and Shizuoka since the Chinese weiqi delegation visited Shizuoka in 1979. Featuring pictures, paintings and chessboards signed by weiqi players, the exhibition runs until Nov 6.