Awards ceremony of 2022 Panda Cup Japan Youth Essay Contest held online

The awards ceremony of the 2022 Panda Cup Japan Youth Essay Contest was held Wednesday. Approximately 100 people participated in the online event.

Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), speaks at the awards ceremony of the 2022 Panda Cup Japan Youth Essay Contest in Beijing on Nov. 23, 2022. [Photo/CICG]

Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), said that China and Japan are neighbors that cannot be moved away and have a solid and valuable friendship. He said he hopes that young Japanese friends will stay more tuned to China, learn about its history, culture, and development in an all-round manner, take a deeper part in China-Japan friendly exchange activities on that basis, and contribute more to China-Japan friendship based on their actual conditions.

Participants of the awards ceremony of the 2022 Panda Cup Japan Youth Essay Contest exchange ideas online on Nov. 23, 2022. [Photo/CICG]

The contest received a record high of 701 essays this year, and awarded 58 individuals and groups. Yamanashi Gakuin Senior High School carried off first prize in the group category.

Since the contest was launched in 2014, it has collected more than 4,200 essays by people aged 16-35 from all over Japan, and invited over 100 award-winning Japanese young people to visit China. The event has become an important platform for Japanese youth to learn about China.