China Cultural Center in Malta celebrates 20th anniversary

VALLETTA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The China Cultural Center in Malta celebrated its 20th anniversary on the weekend, with a series of events organized jointly with the Xi'an Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism.

A pair of terracotta warrior replicas from Xi'an, the capital of China's Shaanxi Province, were donated to the Chinese Garden of Serenity on Saturday. The donation ceremony was followed by an outdoor concert of traditional Chinese music and dance performed by artists from Xi'an.

At the opening of the concert, Chinese Ambassador to Malta Yu Dunhai said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations more than 50 years ago, China and Malta have established a profound friendship.

Meanwhile, the China Cultural Center in Malta has taken part in cultural exchanges, teaching, and training, Yu underlined. It has also created cultural projects including Chinese New Year celebrations, a Chinese Kite Festival, and the "Imagine China" children's art competition.

"It has become an important window for Maltese people to understand China, and will continue playing an important role in enhancing the friendship and people-to-people exchanges between China and Malta," he said.

Culture has played an important part in the development of the bilateral friendship between the people of Malta and China, said Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, chair of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society.

"We are marking another significant milestone as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China Cultural Center in Malta," she said. "This is not just a milestone for Malta but also a watershed moment on a European level, as this China Cultural Center was the first of its kind in Europe."

Charmaine St John, mayor of Santa Lucija, said that the friendship between China and Malta has always been based on equality and mutual benefit, and she hopes to see more cultural interaction between the two countries in the Garden of Serenity in the future.

On Sunday night, a lantern festival was held in the Maltese capital Valletta. During the festival, visitors tasted Chinese tea, enjoyed traditional Chinese music performed by artists from Xi'an, and tried on Tang Dynasty (618-907) costumes.