Editor's note: Since the beginning of this year, focusing on the preparation of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Beijing's foreign affairs service has coordinated resources and mobilized forces from all parties, and fully took advantage of foreign affairs resources and channels to promote the Olympics, host foreign affairs events, improve language environment, and guarantee foreign-related security and services, contributing to the success of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
From November 27 to 29, the 2021 “Youth · Olympic” Beijing Sister City Youth Online Dialogue & “Embracing Future” International Youth Communication Camp co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League and Beijing Foreign Affairs Office was successfully held.
A series of colorful activities centering on the theme of “Youth · Olympic” were provided, including forums for dialogue, ice and snow sports experiences, culture activities, and get-together celebrations. Young people from sister cities responded warmly to our invitations to come to China and enjoy the charm of ice and snow sports and the enthusiasm of the Olympic Games.
The opening ceremony of the Camp was hosted in Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center, with leaders from the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League, Beijing Foreign Affairs Office, and Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries present at the ceremony.
During the Camp, young people from sister cities made on-site visits to the Beijing Organising Committee, Big Air Shougang, Qiaobo Ski Dome, and the Canal Business District. Surrounded by the enthusiastic atmosphere of the Winter Olympics preparation and “3 hundred billion population participating in winter sports”, they obtained a better understanding of the development plan and the achievement of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center and more comprehensive and direct perception of the “Chinese plan” and “Chinese concept” for the Winter Olympic preparation and China’s social development.
In the international carnival under the theme of “YOUNG Spirits Flowering in the Neighbourhoods”, young people from various countries got better understanding of traditional Chinese culture through various handicrafts, such as making Chinese round fans, drawing Peking Opera facial masks, wearing traditional Chinese clothes, and movable-type printing.
In the forums “Youth and Hi-tech Olympics” and “Youth and Olympic Cities”, young people from sister cities used their own experiences and feelings as examples to conduct heated discussions on the scientific advancement of the Olympics and the use of Olympic heritages. They implemented the concept of a shared future for mankind and contributed their wisdom in making Mother Earth a better place.
Alix, a Russian student studying at Peking University said: “I think the Camp is an excellent platform for the exchange students in Beijing like us to know more about the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.”
Manu, an Angola student studying at Central University of Finance and Economics said: “I’m sure that Beijing will hold a successful Winter Olympics and share its experience to the whole world in making good use of the Olympic heritages for common development.”
Beijing Sister City International Youth Communication Camp is an exemplary activity of people-to-people exchange in the capital city of Beijing. There have been 10 successful sessions in the past, each of which attracted hundreds of young representatives from dozens of countries and regions. This year, in the context of the Winter Olympics, the Camp pooled the resources from various sister cities to bridge the communication and cooperation of young people from home and abroad and create a favorable environment for the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
