China， Italy to Enhance Cooperation on Old City Wall Protection

The city of Xian in northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province and the Veneto region of Italy will strengthen cooperation on old city wall protection.

The Xian city wall management committee and the Association of Walled Towns of Veneto signed a memorandum of cooperation on December 4， agreeing to enhance exchange and cooperation on old city wall protection as well as cultural and tourism development based on the old city wall.

According to the memorandum， the two sides will carry out long-term cooperation on diversity study and cultural utilization of old city wall protection.

The two sides also agreed to establish an old city wall alliance to push forward exchange and cultural cooperation between cities that have old city walls throughout the world.

Loredana Borghesan， the associations chairperson， said that she hopes to promote the friendship between Veneto and Xian and strengthen their communication and cooperation on culture， art， education， economy and trade.？

China-themed Painting Competition Held in Dublin

An award ceremony of a painting competition aiming to promote a better understanding of China among Irish primary and secondary school students was held in Dublin on December 2.

Named the “China in My Eyes Art Competition，” the event was co-organized by Confucius Institutes of University College Dublin （UCD） and University College Cork （UCC） with support from the Chinese embassy in Ireland.

Addressing some 200 people attending the award ceremony at the UCD Confucius Institute， Chinese Ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong extended his warm congratulations to the winners of the competition. He encouraged all the participants to continue to pursue their dreams of being great painters and to play a role in promoting cultural exchanges between China and Ireland.

A total of 28 contestants were awarded prizes at the ceremony. The first prize for the secondary school category went to a 12-year-old Irish girl named Maia Griffin Sugarman for her work Panda in Bamboo Forest.

The top prize for the primary school category was awarded to a 10-year-old Chinese girl named Sun Jiayi for her work Twelve Zodiac. Sun immigrated to Ireland with her parents about two year ago.

China， Japan Vow to Expand Tourism Exchanges， Cooperation

China held a culture and tourism promotion event in Japan on December 3， with both sides vowing to expand people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in tourism and other areas.

Li Jinzao， vice minister of culture and tourism， introduced the latest changes and trends in the development of culture and tourism of China. China and Japan are important outbound tourist destinations to each other， he said， adding that tourism exchanges have played an important role in promoting understanding and mutual trust between the two peoples and consolidating the public support of the two countries.

The new development and changes in Chinas tourism have attracted great attention. Japan hopes to make joint efforts with China to expand cultural exchanges and cooperation in tourism and other areas， he added.

The event， hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China， showcased the booming Chinese culture and the vigorous development of tourism in China. During the event， Japanese teenagers shared their experiences of visiting China， and promotional videos themed Beautiful China， the Beijing Winter Olympics， and Beijings newly completed Daxing International Airport were also shown.

Activity

The Chinese New Year by National Ballet of China

Date： January 17-19， 2020

Venue： National Center for the Per

forming Arts

Price： RMB 60， 100， 200， 300， 360， 420， 480， 580

The National Ballet of China was founded in December 1959. All of the companys outstanding artists come from professional academies. During the past decades the company has never ceased enriching its solid Russian foundations with works of different schools and styles.

The Little Mermaid by China National Theater for Children

Date： January 28-30， 2020

Venue： National Center for the Perf orming Arts

Price： RMB 200， 280， 360

The China National Theater for Children was formerly the China National Childrens Art Theater of the Peoples Republic of China. Founded in 1956， it shoulders the responsibility of providing outstanding childrens theatrical works for the young audience， as well as that of the inheritance， development， and innovation of childrens theatrical arts.