On the evening of April 12, the opening ceremony of the 2nd 'Belt and RoadHand in Hand China Tour by teenagers from 10 countries was held at the Zhuhai International Convention and Exhibition Center. Many officials attended the ceremony, including Gu Xiulian, vice-chairman of the 10th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and director of China CARES about the Next Generation Working Committee; Li Hongta, vice-president of the China Charity Association and Yan Wu, deputy mayor of Zhuhai, as well as vice-consuls from foreign consulates in Guangzhou.

Teenagers from the 10 participating countries pose for photos.

The program was organized by the Committee of Communist Youth League of Zhuhai and charities in Zhuhai City. There are 86 teenagers from China, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam participating in the program. The tour in China will last for 13 days, as the teens travel along the ancient Silk Road via Shanghai, Chongqing and Chengdu to learn about ancient and modern China. The program’s aim is to provide opportunities for the teens to communicate and strengthen relationships among the countries participating in the Belt and Road. The theme “We go Hand in Hand” means that the people in the participating countries become good friends and develop together.

At the ceremony, Gu expressed her hope that teens from the participating countries can share with their with their friends back home their new deep understanding of Chinese culture, and then spark the interest of many more teens. Li and Yan also looked to further develop the program so it can bring Chinese culture to the whole world and jointly write a new chapter in building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

Gu Xiulian is vice-chairman of the 10th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and director of China CARES about the Next Generation Working Committee.

In May 2018, the first visiting program, which included seven countries invested in the Belt and Road, was successfully held in Zhuhai City and was highly praised by all the participating countries. So was the second program this year, and the number of participants and participating countries increased significantly. Ge Zhihong, director of the Huafa Public Welfare Foundation said it was an honor to be one of the organizers, so that the foundation can contribute to the development of the Belt and Road, as well as the relationships among the countries involved. 

The teenagers give an excellent performance at the ceremony.

Teenagers from the participating countries gave an excellent performance at the opening ceremony, bringing songs and dances of their native countries. According to the organizers, all 86 participants were chosen by the Ministries of Education of their home countries and have been looking forward to the program for a long time.

Gu was in YungWing School Zhuhai.

During the next two days in Zhuhai, the teens are going to go sightseeing, visiting landmarks such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Zhuhai Opera House. Various lessons and activities will be held so that the teens can have a comprehensive understanding of the city. Before the opening ceremony, Gu went to the YungWing School Zhuhai, and spoke with the students from home and abroad. She was impressed by their handmade ceramics and gave them her best wishes.