"It is hoped that China and the Arab States will take this Arab Art Festival as an opportunity to implement the results of the first China-Arab States Summit, carry forward the spirit of the Silk Road, enhance traditional friendship, and intensify cultural exchanges, so as to inject lasting impetus into deepening the Sino-Arab strategic partnership and contribute to the construction of Contribute to the China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era." President Xi Jinping said in his congratulatory letter to the Fifth Arab Art Festival recently.

To me, promoting closer cooperation between China and Arab states means more opportunities in the future. 30-year-old Egyptian youth Mahdi Ahmed participated in the art festival. After reading President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter, he is full of confidence in his future.

The 5th Arab Art Festival will be held in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China from December 19th. Mahdi is studying at Jingdezhen Ceramic University here. Before and after the art festival, artists from the Arab world who came from afar created and exhibited hundreds of fine arts in China; special products such as dates, camel milk products, and olive oil from the Arabian Peninsula were placed in Taoxichuan Cultural and Creative Street, Jingdezhen More and more "hometown elements" reminded Mahdi of his home far away, and he also felt the enthusiasm of China-Arab exchanges. "Jingdezhen has a record of exchanges with Arab countries since ancient times. When I come here to study, I rarely feel like I am in a foreign land." Mahdi said.

Mahdi Ahmed (first from the right) is learning blue and white painting

In September 2019, Mahdi, who graduated from Fayoum University in Egypt with a major in archeology, came to China to conduct research on the history of ceramics. From the Arabic characters on ancient porcelain, he felt the Silk Road love between China and Arab countries spanning thousands of years. Hundreds of years ago, Sumaliqing, a mineral pigment produced in the Arabian region, was introduced to China along the ancient Silk Road, and combined with Chinese porcelain, the blue-and-white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty was born, which surprised the world. This is a gift from the two great civilizations of China and Arab states to all mankind. Mahdi said that blue and white porcelain is a symbol of the integration and mutual learning of Chinese and Arab cultures.

For a long time, the two great civilizations of China and Arabia have flourished side by side at both ends of the Asian continent, writing a good story of the integration of East and West, mutual learning and mutual assistance. Today, more and more Arab youths have opened a new window of opportunity by learning Chinese, and have formed an indissoluble bond with China and Chinese culture.

Passant Khalil, a young Egyptian Chinese teacher (Chinese name Shiyu), is one of the representatives. She won the championship of the 18th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, and became a Chinese language teacher of the Chinese Department of Cairo University as she wished. Teacher, help more people learn Chinese and understand China.

Like Mahdi, Shiyu also had an unforgettable experience in Jiangxi. Four years ago, when she was an exchange student at Shandong University, she worked as a support teacher in the deep mountains of Ji'an, Jiangxi, teaching children in the mountainous areas to sing simple Arabic songs, and was affectionately called "Chocolate Girl" by the children.

In September 2022, on behalf of Egyptian teenagers, Shiyu asked Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut, who was performing a mission on the Chinese space station. Speaking of this experience, Shiyu still cannot hide her excitement: "The dialogue with Tiangong is one of the brightest moments in my life." In Shiyu's view, many Arab youths choose to study science and engineering in China, hoping to bring Chinese science and technology to China. The experience of development is brought back to the country.

Shiyu (second from left) took a group photo with local children when she was teaching in Ji'an, Jiangxi

Mahdi touched the historical pulse of Sino-Arab civilization exchanges and mutual learning through porcelain archaeology, while Shiyu felt the vitality of China-Arab cultural exchanges from the enthusiasm of Arab students in Chinese and Tiangong. At the first China-Arab States Summit that ended not long ago, President Xi Jinping, together with the leaders of the Arab countries, planned the path forward for the construction of a China-Arab community of shared future, and made a top-level design for the development of China-Arab relations in the new era.

Mahdi said that he looks forward to the continuous upgrade and expansion of China-Arab cooperation, and he will also stay in China to "seek more opportunities." Shi Yu said that in recent years, students from Arab countries are very interested in China's development in the fields of scientific and technological research and development, humanities and art. "I want to be a bridge between China and Arab countries." Editor/He Yuting