In the morning of June 11, the open ceremony of 2021 "International Friends@Qingdao " was launched. More than 100 international friends from 10 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Kunming, Taiyuan, Yangzhou and Qingdao, and more than 40 countries, participated in the launching ceremony."International Friends@ Qingdao" campaign innovation upgrade.

"International Friends@ Qingdao" campaign innovation upgrade

Last year, in the impact of the epidemic below the Brigade foreign exchange activities pressed the "pause button".  Qingdao Culture and Tourism Bureau launched the innovative "International Friends@Qingdao" cultural and tourism international exchange campaign, which organizes international friends who are currently working in Qingdao, living in Qingdao and love Qingdao, to advocate for Qingdao's cultural and tourism, opening up a new mode of cultural and tourism exchange with the outside world.

This year, the "International Friends@Qingdao" campaign has been expanded from Qingdao to Jiaodong, attracting more international friends to visit Qingdao and Jiaodong on the basis of the "International Friends@Qingdao" international cultural tourism exchange brand last year. The event will attract more international friends to visit Qingdao and Jiaodong to experience the city's regional landscape, popular classics, intangible culture and unique cultural and tourism style. Let international friends from all over the world can find resonance in Qingdao and Jiaodong, which is also an exploration and innovation of international cultural tourism exchange based on the current international and domestic situation.

This year, the event continued to retain the popular cultural performances, travel experiences, non-foreign heritage performances and achievements exhibitions, and added the "Tell the Story of Qingdao Culture and Tourism" international short video contest, international cultural art exhibition and international salon activities.

Experience the authentic Chinese culture and taste of Qingdao

At the event, the international friends showed great interest in the local folk culture and traditional Chinese culture in Qingdao. In the display areas of face painting, Jiaozhou paper-cutting, Gaojia sugar ball and sugar painting, the international friends were excited to experience the local folk customs of Qingdao.

At the event, the international friends also showed their love and study of traditional Chinese culture. The international friends played "Jasmine Fragrance" on the guzheng and performed Chinese tea ceremony and ancient rituals in Chinese costume together with Chinese tea teachers, conveying the Chinese hospitality rituals of "friends come from afar, it's a pleasure".

Foreign friends played "Jasmine Fragrance" with guzheng.Kiribati students showed their traditional dance.

Kiribati students showed their traditional dance.

With millions of followers, the international netizen Mr. Doudou"is the successor of the famous British comedian Mr. Bean. He shared his experience of visiting Qingdao in the image of Mr.Bean, and performed the pleasant time of visiting the sea and the beach in Qingdao, and expressed the emotion of "Amazing Qingdao" from time to time. International students from Kiribati performed maritime style folk songs and dances to bring a dialogue between Kiribati and Qingdao, which also has a sea and sky scenery.Mr. Doudou sang a song he composed for Qingdao.

Mr. Doudou sang a song he composed for Qingdao.

For domestic and international friends, @Qingdao into Jiaodong

Last year, the "International Friends@Qingdao" international cultural tourism exchange campaign was aimed at the international friends living in Qingdao, and was launched based on their heartfelt love for Qingdao. This year, the event is open to millions of international friends in the country, with the new slogan "Let's meet in Qingdao", inviting them to visit and experience Qingdao. At the launching ceremony, "'Let's meet in Qindao' domestic international friends blessing video" was released. International friends from France, Thailand and other places sent invitations to "Let's meet in Qingdao".

Jiaodong folk culture attracts international friends for interactive experience at the scene.

In the context of the economic integration of Jiaodong, Jiaodong cultural tourism has also emerged with a new momentum of development. The event combined the cultural and tourism resources of the five cities in Jiaodong and released 5 categories and 20 international cultural and tourism scenes for international friends, including coastal vacation, humanistic Jiaodong, healthy Jiaodong, delicious Jiaodong and dynamic Jiaodong.
It is understood that this activity will focus on experiencing Jiaodong cultural and tourism resources, and the novel way of "director-led tour to Jiaodong", led by the directors of the five cities of Jiaodong cultural and tourism bureau to lead international friends into Jiaodong, experience Jiaodong, and promote Jiaodong cultural and tourism resources.

(By Liuqin)