Taiwan students experience Beijing's charm

A delegation of some 40 college students from China's Taiwan region wrapped up a five-day visit to Beijing on Friday, after exploring winter sports, historical and cultural heritage, and cutting-edge technology in the capital.

The delegation, led by Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, visited the Yanqing Olympic Zone which includes the National Alpine Skiing Center, a competition venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and a public skiing center.

They participated in various winter sports and experienced the thrill of ice and snow sports.

"This is my first time to Beijing. I'm quite happy and excited to have an opportunity to ski at a venue of the Winter Olympics," said a Taiwan student.

The students also explored cultural landmarks such as the Palace Museum, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven to experience traditional Chinese culture, and visited the cross-Strait sci-tech innovation center, Xiaomi's automotive mega-factory to witness advanced sci-tech development.

"I think the foremost significance of this trip for our young people from Taiwan is that they experienced history and tradition, as well as innovation and sci-tech. Especially the timing of our visit happened to coincide with the Spring Festival holiday and we even celebrated the Lantern Festival here. It was a chance for people on both sides of the Strait to celebrate the traditional festival together, making it a meaningful experience for the students from Taiwan," said Hsiao.

The Taiwan students on Thursday watched the animated blockbuster Ne Zha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea, or Ne Zha 2, which has yet to be released in Taiwan. The captivating plot and impressive animation left them both moved and amazed.

Ne Zha 2 has become the first Chinese film to gross 10 billion yuan (about 1.39 billion U.S. dollars) in total global earnings, including presales.

"When they watched Ne Zha 2, the box office had surpassed 10 billion yuan, making all the students very excited, and they were more touched, as the film portrays a lot of endearing bonds. I think this was also a great experience for them to see a traditional Chinese folk tale turned to such an impressive film through the latest animation and sci-tech. And for so many years what we watched were all Western and Hollywood animated movies, yet our own animation films produced in the mainland are no inferior to Western films in terms of technology and innovation, which I think was also a new and striking experience to the students," he said.

Taiwan students experience Beijing's charm

Construction and exhibition setup across all eight halls of the main venue of the 6th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) are in the final sprint in Haikou, capital city of south China's Hainan Province.

The expo will be held from April 13 to 18.

At the exhibition halls, staff are busy arranging exhibits and testing interactive installations. All setup work is set to be completed by Sunday, ready to welcome global exhibitors and buyers.

"My expectation is to meet somebody that would like to understand what we propose. I think [it] could mean more opportunities to come in China, especially in Hainan because the government want to import product and facilitate us to come here without any tax," said an exhibitor from Italy.

"This time, we are bringing eight brands to make their debut at the expo. We will also sign agreements with pet brands to enrich the category of duty-free pet products available for travelers," said Hou Xiaofei, marketing director of Haikou GDF Plaza.

The main venue features eight exhibition halls. Hall 4 is dedicated to global specialty consumer goods. It showcases premium products from 22 countries and regions including Canada, Switzerland, and Italy.

"With the 'fast-track' green channel, Chinese consumers can quickly access authentic Italian products," said Chen Meiqi, vice chair of Salotto Italia-Cina (Italy-China Lounge).

This year's expo will see national pavilion debuts from multiple countries such as Russia and Bulgaria.

The expo continues to embrace a green and low-carbon approach, promoting sustainable practices in construction and event operations.

"These structures are made of recyclable materials. After use, they can be recycled and reused," said Sun Zhili, on-site operations manager of the expo.

The total exhibition area reaches 143,000 square meters, an increase of 13,000 square meters compared with the previous edition.

More than 3,400 brands from over 60 countries and regions are expected to participate, with international brands accounting for 65 percent of the total.

Preparations for main venue of consumer products expo in final sprint