China Pavilion Day celebrated at Osaka World Expo with artistic performance

Celebrations with artistic performance featuring traditional Chinese culture were staged at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan's third-largest city, on Friday to mark the China Pavilion Day.

Themed "Splendid China, Shaping the Future Together," the China Pavilion Day celebrations were a dazzling showcase of China's rich history and cultural charm.

Performers at the event expressed their excitement at the opportunity to play roles in showcasing China's traditional culture and lively spirit to the rest of the world.

"I play the role of the 'Flying Long Silk' dance featuring the charm of ancient China's Qin (221-206 bc) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties. This dance is inspired by the ancient Dunhuang murals [in northwest China's Gansu Province] and represents the richness of traditional Chinese culture. I feel incredibly happy and excited to perform on the China Pavilion Day. It's a wonderful opportunity to share our outstanding Chinese culture with the rest of the world and to contribute to the platform of China-Japan friendship. I'm also grateful for this stage, as it allows me to better engage with the rest of the world," said a performer.

"This is the first time for our team to travel abroad to stage performance, and I feel deeply honored. Our piece is titled 'Red: The Dragon and the Youth.' The dragon symbolizes the totem of the Chinese nation, while the youth refers us -- the new generation. Through this performance, we want to showcase the spirit and vitality of Chinese youth to the rest of the world and to international friends," said another performer.

The celebrations also drew attention from international representatives. Sasha Leban, Commissioner General of the Republic of Slovenia to the BIE (Bureau of International Expositions) Expo, extended congratulations to China.

"First of all, I want to congratulate the [People's] Republic of China for their National Day here, because I think that they already have a very impressive pavilion here. I'm also a colleague of their Commissioner General. We're together in the sitting committee. And I think that today's performance really conveys the story of China, everything, the story of the pavilion. And I'm impressed, as always, with Chinese impeccable performance, acrobats, excellent voice. I mean, no mistakes, the whole immersion of the background, singing, dancing is just impressive. And I think really, really good representation of where China today is," she said.

Friday also coincided with the 90th day since the China Pavilion opened. Since its opening in April, the pavilion has registered over 770,000 visits. More than 200 officials and notable guests from 75 countries and regions have visited China's National Pavilion.

"We work to promote dialogue and cooperation among different civilizations, and contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions to building a vibrant future," said Wu Shengrong, Commissioner General of the China Pavilion.

The Expo 2025 Osaka runs from April 13 to October 13.

China Pavilion Day celebrated at Osaka World Expo with artistic performance

A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.

Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.

In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.

"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.

Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.

In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.

"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.

By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.

After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.

"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.

Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.

As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.

Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media