August 19 , 2022

“Youth Creates Better Cities” GYLD China Tour in Jinan & Zibo

From August 12th to 14th, the 2022 GYLD China Tour traveled to Jinan and Zibo in Shandong province. Around the topic of “Youth Creates Better Cities”, a group of international youth from 12 countries visited the headquarters base of the International Summit on Innovation and Development of Youth Entrepreneurs in Jinan, the Zibo Comprehensive Bonded Zone, the Archaeological Site of Jixia Academy, the Zhoucun Ancient Town, the Qi Heritage Museum and the Zibo Ceramics and Glass Museum and other places. They held in-depth conversations with the officials of related departments of the local government, youth entrepreneurs, representatives of foreigners and experts on local culture, got to know the platform built for youth in enhancing science and technology innovation, deepening economic and commercial collaboration and encouraging the communication between different cultures, and fully experience the vibrance of a youthful Shandong.

Shandong province is leading the way in creating youth-friendly cities. At the Headquarters of International Summit on Innovation and Development of Youth Entrepreneurs in Jinan, the international youth learnt that the summit, which has been held successfully for three times, has already become an important link in connecting quality resources. In the Zibo Comprehensive Bonded Zone, international youth learned about the preferential foreign trade policies available to enterprises in the zone, visited the technological innovation companies founded by some young talents who graduated from Tsinghua University. In the international young entrepreneurs dialogue, the international youth and local youth entrepreneurs discussed at length about how cities could support the growth of youth entrepreneurs, and the responsibility and role young entrepreneurs take in the development of cities.

Shandong has a long and fruitful historical and cultural bloodline, and is an important window into understanding Chinese culture and its global impact. The international youth walked through the Zhoucun Ancient Town, tasted the traditional sesame seed cakes and learnt about the silk commerce heritage in ancient buildings. They visited the Linzi Football Museum and learnt about how the globally popular soccer game is connected to the ancient football game of Cuju. When watching a game of Cuju, the international youth were all attracted by the fantastic Cuju techniques and wanted to try. In the Qi Heritage Museum, they witnessed how a piece of relic with thousands of years of history had Persian patterns on it and marveled at the cultural exchange on the ancient Silk Road. The international youth also visited the Zibo Ceramics and Glass museum to admire the ceramics from China and other countries, and watched the Chinese traditional handcraft of porcelain carving and painting. In the resonance between Chinese traditional culture and global civilization, international youth discussed how to enhance humanistic exchanges and mutual learning in the post-pandemic era.

Several international youth said that they received an in-depth understanding of how to connect young people’s growth and development with that of the cities, the country and the globe on this tour. They also reported that they have learned a lot from communicating with other participants from different countries and cultural backgrounds. This increased their confidence in playing the role of bridging China and the world as international youth based in China.

GYLD China Tour is an exchange activity that falls under the framework of the GYLD program. GYLD China Tour aims to deepen understanding of China, enhance mutual friendship and promote common growth by inviting global youth to visit places in China.

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GYLD China Tour is going to Jinan and Zibo

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“Youth Creates Better Cities” GYLD China Tour in Jinan & Zibo

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