Neither mountains nor seas can separate people of common goals and ideals

Su Mengyuan

W hile the pandemic has prevented people from carrying out crossborder exchanges， the Foreign Affairs Office of Zhangzhou， Fujian province， has been innovative in its efforts to deepen international communication between friendship cities. For instance， it launched the Cloud Foreign Affairs activity to implement the spirit of the memorandum of understanding on exchanges and cooperation for the 30th anniversary of friendship cities.

On March 17， the Foreign Affairs Office organized an online exchange activity between the Zhangzhou No 1 Foreign Language School and Japans Isahaya Commercial High School. More than 70 people from the Foreign Affairs Office of Fujian province， the Foreign Affairs Office of Zhangzhou， Zhangzhou No 1 Foreign Language School， Nagasaki Prefecture Government of Japan， the Isahaya Municipal Government and Isahaya Commercial High School attended the event.

The exchange activity first broad- cast scenery videos of Zhangzhou and Isahaya. The students made “online trips” to each others cities to experience the latest developments. The charming scenery and intangible cultural heritage of Zhangzhou aroused great interest among Japanese students. The beautiful scenery of Isahaya also attracted students in Zhangzhou.

The representative from the international division of Nagasaki Prefecture said that Zhangzhou and Isahaya had carried out exchanges in many fields since tying the knot of friendship. Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of international friendship city relations， which“is very memorable”. He expressed the hope that the students would improve their friendship through the meeting and enhance mutual understanding.

At the meeting， the students introduced their hometown cultures， food and campus life to each other， and enhanced their understanding of each others cities. Liu Jingrou and Zhuang Peihong of Zhangzhou No 1 Foreign Language School showed their Japanese counterparts “Fu” culture：

The character “Fu” represents good fortune and best wishes. During Chinese New Year， every household will paste “Fu” on the gate. The students from Zhangzhou showed the Chinese “Fu” culture， the Chinese womens volleyball team， the old town of Zhangzhou， southern Fujian dialect， Zhangzhou glove puppets and Zhangzhou Gezi Opera to the students of Isahaya through performances， pictures and handicrafts. By introducing the campus scenery and cultural activities of the Zhangzhou school， the Chinese students impressed their Japanese peers. The students from Isahaya showed the history， culture and customs of Isahaya and expressed their admiration for the development of Zhangzhou. They said they hoped to have a chance to visit Zhangzhou in the future.3EE94A63-B282-4387-979C-06BC6E49070F

The atmosphere was warm throughout the whole meeting. The students communicated actively， enriching their understanding of each others cities and cultures， and deepening the friendship between the youths of the two places.

The students from Isahaya expressed their hope that in the future， they can go to Zhangzhou to experience Zhangzhous “Fu”culture and appreciate the beautiful scenery. The students of Zhangzhou No 1 Foreign Language School also expressed appreciation for the Isahaya students efforts and sincerity， and sent out warm invitations， hoping to meet again in Zhangzhou after the epidemic to deepen friendship.

The Zhangzhou Foreign Affairs Office attaches great importance to international exchanges and cooperation with friendship cities. It actively organizes young people to participate in activities of friendship， building bridges for foreign exchanges and cooperation in education， to help improve the level of cultural openness， continue to strengthen international communication and tell the Zhangzhou chapter of the China story.

In the early stage of the activity， to ensure that it would come off smoothly， leaders of the Foreign Affairs Office of Zhangzhou led teams to Zhangzhou No 1 Foreign Language School several times to guide the preparatory work. Through close cooperation and attentive organization， Zhangzhou displayed the vigor and vitality of the high school students and built a bridge of people-topeople bonds.3EE94A63-B282-4387-979C-06BC6E49070F