Malta to hold online Chinese kite workshop in May

VALLETTA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- An online workshop will be held in Malta to celebrate the Chinese kite festival during the country's Green Festival scheduled at the beginning of May, Director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Malta Yang Xiaolong told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The Chinese Cultural Center, the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and the Valletta Cultural Agency held a virtual conference on Monday and the three sides confirmed that they would jointly hold the Chinese kite workshop.

The Chinese kite festival is not only an outdoor activity, but also a peaceful activity of respecting culture, and is widely loved by Maltese children and families, said Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, former President of Malta and chairman of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, at the conference on Monday.

Flying kites is beneficial to physical and mental health and Maltese children can also learn about Chinese history and culture through games and entertainment, she said. The activity is conducive to enhancing the friendship and cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The first Chinese kite festival was held in 2018 in the Verdala Palace in Buskett, the summer residence of the President of Malta. And the second one was held in Valletta in 2019 during Malta's Green Festival, a family-friendly weekend event aiming to enhance people's environmental awareness.

Due to the pandemic, the Chinese kite festival was cancelled in 2020.