(International Exchange Between High-School Students) China Program Implementation Report
2016 Japan-China Teenage Ambassadors (International exchange between high-school students) China Program Implementation Report
October 9th (Sunday) - October 17th (Monday)
AEON 1% Club Foundation
Connect Continue November 14th, 2016 To whom it may concern AEON 1% Club Foundation Secretary General Yohsei Honda Report (Japanese high-school students’ visit to China) Thank you for your support and understanding for the activities of the AEON 1% Club Foundation. The following is our report on this project, in its eighth year of continuous operation.
■ Implementation period: October 9th (Sunday) - October 17th (Monday) ■ Purpose of implementation: To encourage friendly relations between the two countries, and to foster global perspective and understanding of diverse values in high-school students. ■ Participants: 70 high-school students from Japan <=> 70 high-school students from China University of Tsukuba Junior & Senior High School (Tokyo, 20 students) <=> High-school students from Beijing (20 students) Chiba Municipal Chiba High School (Chiba City, 10 students) <=> High-school students from Beijing (10 students) Iwata High School (Oita City, 20 students) <=> High-school students from Wuhan (20 students) Sapporo Nihon University Senior High School (Kita-Hiroshima City, 20 students) <=> High-school students from Qingdao (20 students) ■ Main activities: (1) Courtesy activities - Courtesy visit to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (press conference attendance, Q&A session with spokesperson Geng Shuang) - Courtesy visit to Municipal People’s Governments of the three cities (Beijing, Wuhan, Qingdao) - Q&A session and reception with minister Kyoji Yamamoto at the Japanese Embassy in China (2) Historic and cultural experience activities - Visits to the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square - Tour the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall and the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Yanqi Lake APEC Conference Center, Three Gorges Dam - Tai Chi, cloisonne work, Gaomi clay tiger, New Year picture painting experience (3) Exchange activities - School visit, class experience - Qingdao University visit, class experience (Sapporo Nihon University Senior High School students participate) - Homestay (2 nights, 3 days) - Farewell party (4) Special activities for Japan-China Exchange Month - Participation in Japan-China tree planting in Miyun, Beijing - Participation in a Wuhan City solar power generation system donation ceremony
■ New actions: (1) Courtesy visit to Qingdao Municipal People’s Government deputy mayor (2) Qingdao University visit and class experience (3) Participation in special activities for Japan-China Exchange Month (4) Embedded reporting with a Beijing TV station (a special feature running around 50 minutes is scheduled to be broadcast at a later date in Beijing TV, and on its “Beijing Time” Net TV channel)
1 Courtesy activities
- Courtesy visit to Beijing Municipal People’s Government Date and time: October 10th (Monday), 9:00 - 10:00 Courtesy visits to: Mayor Wang Anshun
Beijing Municipal People’s Government Courtesy visit to Beijing’s mayor Mayor Wang Anshun
Greeting from Mayor Wang Anshun (excerpt) I am delighted to have this opportunity to meet the teenage ambassadors, and new and old friends, who have come here from Japan. First of all, let me give you all a warm welcome, as the representative of Beijing Municipal People’s Government, and of the 22 million citizens of Beijing. A country’s young people are its future, and the youth of both countries bear the responsibility for furthering the relationship between Japan and China.
The teenage ambassadors are filled with vitality and confidence, and in them, I can see a beautiful future for China and Japan. I was very moved to hear the fine speech from student representative Fukuie earlier. I The Japanese teenage ambassadors think it is (Mr./Ms.) Fukuie who is the real representative present a shippoyaki (Japanese cloisonne ware) picture of red Mt, of the people of China and Japan who want good relations between our two countries. Fuji to Mayor Wang Anshun
Commemorative photograph at Beijing Municipal People’s Government (in the 2nd row from the front, 8th from the left is director general Yasuyuki Furusawa, 9th is President and Representative
Director of Aeon Group China Yuki Habu, 10th is Director Hiroshi Yokoo, 11th is Mayor Wang Anshun, 12th is Zhao Huimin Director, and 13th is Gao Zhiyong Deputy Director.)
2 Courtesy activities
Greeting by the representative of the Japanese teenage ambassadors
University of Tsukuba Junior & Senior High School Student representative
Thank you very much for welcoming us, the further progress for both countries and Japanese teenage ambassadors, today. I feel exchange between them. How wonderful would greatly honored to have been given the it be, if this wish, that even children can hear, opportunity to address such as gathering. came true? In July, three months ago, the Chinese teenage Three months have passed since the Chinese ambassadors visited Japan. I still clearly teenage ambassadors visited, but there is remember the fresh ideas and feelings of that something I remember clearly. When we were time. Before now, I had never been outside touring Tokyo, the Chinese high-school students Japan. For me, meeting Chinese high-school would listen to what the guide was saying, and students was my first close contact with the then they would always talk a lot about related culture of a country other than Japan, and I things in China. The pride and enjoyment on have never had the clear awareness that “I am their faces at those times made a deep Japanese” as strongly as I did then. impression on me that I will not forget. The There was one thing that I was able to vague image I had of China then was changed understand because aware of the framework of into a colorful, lively, and appealing one by all nations between Chinese people and Japanese their smiling faces. people. That was the natural fact that “we If we just have the will to get to know each other Chinese and Japanese teenage ambassadors all better, I think we can understand each other, have being high-school students in common”. and share a single future. Of course, there are While I was with the Chinese students, I not many things we, as high-school students, certainly felt the differences of our cultures can do. But we are the ones who will be creating many times. But I was keenly aware, as I saw the future from now on. To build a better future those vitally alive Chinese students together, for China and Japan, we will have to take one studying, worrying about things, being moved step further. at the sight of beauty, or amazed by something We have been blessed with the opportunity for unusual, that they are no different from us, and this kind of exchange activity, and here we are. before we are Chinese or Japanese, we are The mission assigned to we teenage high-school students living in the same ambassadors is to become bridges between moment. Japan and China in future. We who are here My awareness of China and Japan is still now pledge to be proud of that mission and to shallow. There are complex issues between our strive for it. two countries that are beyond my In closing, I want to give thanks to all those who understanding. But there is something that I, have supported us in this China-Japan young and inexperienced as I am, can say. This exchange program. Thank you for your is truly what I think. I want us to be friends in attention. China and Japan. I want us to cooperate for
3 Courtesy activities
●Q&A session at the Japanese Embassy in China Date and time: October 10th (Monday), 17:30 - 18:10 Q&A Session: Minister Kyoji Yamamoto
Q&A Session With Minister Kyoji Yamamoto
Q. What do we students have to do to further improve relations between Japan and China? I think
students are weak individually, but if each of us thinks that it’s OK to do nothing alone, there will
be no good progress. So what kind of mindset do we need to have to make Japanese-Chinese
relations better?
Student of Iwata High School
A. That’s a very good and serious question. I’m extremely grateful that you are thinking about
what we can do to improve Japanese-Chinese relations. But young people like you don’t have to
think about how to improve Japanese-Chinese relations. The relations between countries are
naturally connected to the relations between individual people. Therefore, it is important for all of
us to think about all kinds of big issues, but I think in terms of action, personal actions like
coming to China like now, making Chinese friends, studying China and simply getting to like
China and striving to know more about it, will lead to better Japanese-Chinese relations.
- Minister Kyoji Yamamoto
Q. Club activities are very busy in Japanese schools, but why is that? Chinese students also have club activities after class, but do you have any advice for us about that? - Student of Sanlitun No.1 High School in Beijing
A. That’s a tough question. When I was in school, I was in a judo club. I studied too, but looking
back on my school days, I think after all it was the club activity that was most important in my
youth. Japanese students normally do all kinds of sports and activities. Through our club
activities, we make friends and want to strive harder, and those things become beautiful
memories of our school lives. So, I want you all to participate keenly in club activities as well as
studying, and to do your best.
- Minister Kyoji Yamamoto
4 Courtesy activities
●Reception at the Japanese Embassy in China Date and time: October 10th (Monday), 18:30 - 20:30
Group commemorative photograph (Minister Kyoji Yamamoto, and others from the center left are Gao Zhiyong Deputy Director, Minister-counselor Fumihiro Kawakami, Xie Yue Director, Wang Peng Deputy Director, Zhang Xuan Deputy Director, director general Tetsuya Taguchi, vice-chair of the board Hu Huijun. From the center right are Director Hiroshi Yokoo, counselor Masao Yokoi, president Yuki Habu, director general Yasuyuki Furusawa, Li HongHai Former Deputy Director, director general Takeshi Nakane, manager Motoyuki Shikata, director general Kazumasa Yamane) ))
Welcoming remarks by A Chinese teenage ambassador presents a A Japanese teenage ambassador presents Minister Kyoji Yamamoto calligraphy painting of bamboo to Minister Japanese tea to Minister Kyoji Yamamoto Kyoji Yamamoto
Demonstration of Tai Chi by Chinese teenage Demonstration of Yosakoi Soran dancing by Japanese teenage ambassadors ambassadors
を披露 ☺Teenage ambassadors’ impressions
We hadn’t seen them in a while, so I thought we might all be shy, but Sapporo Nihon University as soon as we met, we were chatting about what we have been doing Senior High School over the last three months. It was really good fun. Male student 5 Courtesy activities ● Courtesy visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Q&A session Date and time: October 11th (Tuesday), 15:00 - 16:00 Q&A Session: Deputy Director General, Department of Information, and spokesperson Geng Shuang
I am delighted to welcome the members of the Japanese teenage ambassadors representative group, who have come to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and watched this regular press conference. On
September 26th, I stood on the rostrum of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the first time as the newly-appointed press spokesperson. I feel very honored to have been able to meet Japan’s teenage ambassadors so soon after becoming spokesperson. I heard that the foreign affairs office of Beijing Municipal People’s Government and the AEON 1% Club have Deputy Director General, Department of Information, already been organizing the China-Japan teenage ambassador exchange and Chinese Ministry of program for eight years. I want to do everything in my power foster Foreign Affairs spokesperson friendly civil relations between China and Japan by carrying on this Geng Shuang splendid tradition and meeting all of you today.
☺Teenage ambassadors’ impressions
When I asked the spokesperson what he was most concerned about as a spokesperson, he joked at first that it was his hair and necktie, but then he said, seriously, that it was how he could respond to unanticipated questions. He was very interesting and I thought he
was an amazing person. Iwata High School Male student 6 Courtesy activities
● Reception Hosted by Beijing Municipal People’s Government Date and time: October 11th (Tuesday) Location: Purple Jade Villas Organizer: Beijing Municipal People’s Government foreign affairs office Zhao Huimin Director、Gao Zhiyong Deputy Director、Xie Yue Director Attendees: Wuhan Municipal People’s Government foreign affairs office Zhang Xuan Deputy Director, Qingdao Municipal People’s Government foreign affairs office Wang Peng Deputy Director Qingdao Bureau of Education, International Exchange Cooperation office Li Yi Director, 70 Japanese teenage ambassadors
(Greeting omitted) Over these three days, you have participated in a lot
of courtesy visits and tours. Through these
activities, I expect you have gained new knowledge of China and of Beijing. I gather that many of you have never been to Beijing before. When the Chinese teenage ambassadors visited Tokyo in July, I think they told you a lot about China and Beijing,
but as they say, “seeing is believing”, and I think
you can only really get to know Beijing by coming here, walking its streets, and seeing it with your own eyes. The reason why I want you all to see Beijing with your own eyes is that people of different ages feel
different things even when they are looking at the
same thing. I believe that over these days, you have seen the history and the present of Beijing and come to know a little about how the Beijing government operates. From now on, you will all go with your paired
students to their schools and homes, and see how
Chinese students study, and how ordinary Chinese people live, to get a better understanding of China. China and Japan are neighboring companies only separated by a narrow sea, and our two countries should be friendly to build a win-win relationship.
For that to happen, young people in both countries
will have to get much closer. Friendly relations can be maintained by getting closer. I hope this visit will be a start for you all to keep in closer touch with your paired students. Now you are all teenage ambassadors, but in future you will be
adult ambassadors for amicable Chinese-Japanese
relations. I hope you will grow up well and become adult ambassadors soon. Please enjoy the remaining days of your stay here, and when you get back to Japan, study harder and lead happier lives.
7 Courtesy activities
● Courtesy visit to Wuhan Municipal People’s Government Date and time: October 12th (Wednesday), 16:00 - 16:30 Courtesy visits to: Deputy secretary Dong Guangli
The China-Japan teenage ambassadors exchange program is already an important platform for exchange between young Japanese and Chinese people, becoming a brand-named exchange
program. In addition to the participants from both Japan and China, the general public in both countries highly admire the program. I think this exchange program is highly significant. Deputy secretary Dong Guangli
● Courtesy visit to Qingdao Municipal People’s Government Date and time: October 12th (Wednesday), 16:00 - 16:30 Courtesy visits to: Deputy mayor Sun Lijie
Both China and Japan want peace and friendship between the two countries. Qingdao City views friendly private-sector exchanges with Japan, particularly those led by young people, as
extremely important. The teenage ambassadors are filled with enthusiasm and friendliness, and in them, I can see progress for both Japan and China, and a beautiful generational friendship between the people of the two countries. Deputy mayor Sun Lijie
8 Historic experience
Time: October 10th (Monday) - 13th (Thursday)
Visits to Tiananmen Square in Beijing Visit to the Great Wall in Beijing
Visit to the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall in Beijing Visit to the Forbidden Palace in Beijing
Visit to the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing Tai Chi experience in Beijing
Tour of the Yanqi Lake APEC Conference Hands-on experience of making cloisonne work Center in Beijing in Beijing 9
Historic and cultural experience, exchange activities
Tour of the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang (340km from Wuhan) ☺ Teenage ambassadors’ impressions
This magnificent scenery that Japan doesn’t have. I got a new feeling of the enormous scale of China. The amount of water is awesome, and I think the facilities are an expression of China’s Iwata High School progress. Male student
Hands-on experience of Gaomi clay tiger and New Year picture painting in Qingdao
Qingdao University visit and class experience in Qingdao
10 Exchange activities ●Class experience in Beijing Time: October 14th (Friday) Location: Beijing Huiwen High School, Beijing Sanlitun No.1 High School, and Beijing Shunyi Niulanshan No.1 High School
Brush painting
Teenage ambassadors listening to an explanation of “The Hairy Ape”, a traditional handicraft of the Han Chinese in Beijing Experience of Chinese martial ● Class experience in Wuhan and Qingdao arts Time: October 14th (Friday) Location: Wuhan Foreign Languages School, Shandong Wuhan No.2 High School and branch campus
Participating in a Chinese language class while checking an electronic Tai Chi practice dictionary
A teenage ambassador being taught the first steps in calligraphy by a teacher Experience of Chinese dance ☺Teenage ambassadors’ impressions The class was entirely in Chinese, but I was happy to be able to understand a little of the science-related content. The school was large and the facilities were really well developed, so it was great fun as well as being a cultural experience. Sapporo Nihon University Senior High School
Female student Exchange activities
● Homestay Time: October 14th (Friday) - 16th (Sunday) 11
☺Host family’s impressions
I was so looking forward to Ando (paired with Mr. Wang) coming to our home. The time was short, but I wanted him to experience ordinary Chinese home life, and have some contact with traditional
culture. I’ll be happy if it produces some good memories. I think it is highly important for people of the two countries to get to know each Beijing Huiwen High other more deeply through the teenage ambassadors exchange School program. Mother of a male student
☺Teenage ambassadors’ impressions
My host mother was wonderfully kind, and she talked to me a lot, even
though I was nervous, so I could relax. She was the kind of person I could think of as my own mother. When I sat to dinner with them yesterday, I was shocked by a way of eating the meal that was completely different from Japan, but my host mother taught me all
kinds of things and it was a good experience. Female student of Chiba Municipal Chiba High School Exchange activities
● Farewell party Time: October 16th (Sunday) 12
Commemorative photograph (teenage ambassadors from Tokyo, Chiba, and Beijing, with their families)
13 Special activities for Japan-China ● Japan-China tree planting in Miyun, Beijing This tree planting activity was organizedExchange by AEON Month Environmental Foundation, Beijing Municipal People’s Government foreign affairs office, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Park and Forest Planting, and Beijing Miyun District People’s Government. Its aims were to enhance water source purification functions and regenerated felled forest, in order to secure potable water for residents around the Miyun Dam in Beijing’s Miyun District, and for residents of Beijing. A total of 800 volunteers, including 60 Japanese and Chinese teenage ambassadors who were meeting in Beijing, participated in a tree planting campaign to deepen the close friendship between Japan and China and to do all in their power to improve the environment of Beijing. Date and time: October 15th (Saturday), 9:30 - 11:30 Location: Beijing, Miyun District, Dongshaoqu Town Shi chang yu Village
Tree planting opening ceremony Japanese and Chinese teenage ambassadors planting a tree ☺Teenage ambassadors’ impressions
I started doing it because it was good for the environment, but it was
seriously tough, and heavier than I expected. I’m now planting the fourth tree, and I want to tough it out until I’ve planted about ten. Male student of
University of Tsukuba Junior & Senior High Planting trees is really tiring, but I think it’s very significant. Planting School trees with my paired student, working in cooperation, felt like fun.
Female student of Beijing ●Wuhan City solar power generation system donation ceremony Sanlitun No.1 High School AEON Environmental Foundation organized this ceremony to mark the donation of solar power generation systems to five elementary and junior high schools in Wuhan, as an opportunity for education about the use and expansion of renewable energy, and for learning about the environment. A total of 160 people, including 40 Japanese and Chinese teenage ambassadors who were meeting in Wuhan, participated in the donation ceremony. Date and time: October 16th (Sunday), 14:00 - 15:00 Location: Wuhan Guanggu No.9 Elementary School
Japanese teenage ambassadors demonstrating Group commemorative photograph “funai pacchin”, the representative festival of Oita City
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