Japanese youth honored at essay contest awards ceremony

The awards ceremony of the 2023 Panda Cup Japan Youth Essay Contest was held Thursday in Beijing.

Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), speaks at the awards ceremony of the 2023 Panda Cup Japan Youth Essay Contest in Beijing, Nov. 30, 2023. [Photo/CICG]

Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), noted the importance of exchanges between Chinese and Japanese youths as China-Japan relations enter a crucial period. The Panda Cup Japan Youth Essay Contest, a signature event of CICG, has played an important role in promoting youth exchanges between the two countries, deepening relationships, and enhancing people-to-people friendship and mutual understanding, added Du.

The awards ceremony of the 2023 Panda Cup Japan Youth Essay Contest is held in Beijing on Nov. 30, 2023. [Photo/CICG]

Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the Panda Cup Japan Youth Essay Contest. Du stated his expectation that more Japanese youths will visit China, learn about Chinese history and culture, and gain firsthand experience of China's development and achievements. This effort aims to help the Japanese gain a true, multi-dimensional, and panoramic view of China.

The contest this year received a record high of 846 essays and conducted a survey among contestants to gather their views on China-Japan relations, garnering a total of 197 questionnaires.

Since the contest's launch in 2014, it has collected more than 5,000 essays from people aged 16-35 across Japan. Last week, a group of 24 award-winners visited Beijing and Suzhou in China's Jiangsu province.

The awards ceremony was jointly organized by CICG Asia-Pacific, the Chinese Embassy in Japan, and the Japan Science Society.