A launch ceremony for the Heze Peony Culture Overseas Communication Station (Oryol) and a youth peony painting campaign was held in Oryol Oblast, Russia, on Oct 21.

The event responded to the China-Russia Years of Education. Centered on friendship, platform building and shared creativity, it combined a ceremony, exhibitions and hands-on experiences to help cultural exchanges between the two jurisdictions evolve from one-off activities into a regular, institutionalized platform, injecting new momentum into local people-to-people exchanges between China and Russia.

Participants visited a peony culture exhibition and tried their hand at making flower sachets, painting cultural bags with peony and chamomile motifs, and crafting flower-decorated fans. The activities created a lively atmosphere of mutual appreciation.

"Peonies give two distant cities a shared language," said a Chinese-language teacher at Oryol State First Secondary School. "Seeing children immersed in these hands-on activities, we feel that Chinese culture is not an abstract symbol but something tangible and warm. I hope the station will help more Russian teenagers get closer to China."

Going forward, Heze in East China's Shandong and Russia's Oryol Oblast will use the station to carry out youth exchanges and cultural activities, helping friendship take root among younger generations.

Participants make fans at the launch event of the Heze Peony Culture Overseas Communication Station (Oryol) in Russia's Oryol Oblast. [Photo/Dazhong News]