Participants at the launch ceremony of 2023 "Tell China's Stories" International Creative Communication Contest in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, on June 12, 2023 Photo: Courtesy of the organizer

 


Themed as heading toward a shared future, the 2023 "Tell China's Stories" International Creative Communication Contest kicked off on Monday in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. This year's contest is set to run from June to the end of the year, and it encourages participants to tell China's stories in the new era.

The launch ceremony began with a performance showcasing Chinese traditional culture by a group of overseas students from Wenzhou Medical University. Liu Xiaotao, secretary of the CPC Wenzhou committee, welcomed all the guests and participants at the launch ceremony. 

We will fully implement the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to "better tell China's stories, make China's voice heard," Liu said.

The contest is an "important event" for the China International Communications Group (CICG) to showcase China's development in the new era as well as China's modern civilization in the form of new media, Du Zhanyuan, president of CICG, said at the launch ceremony on Monday.

The contest has been held for five consecutive sessions, with 19 local sub-contests, 13 themed competitions and two special events. More than 600 works were selected from 155,000 submissions from China, the US, Canada, the UK, Russia and other countries and regions, with more than 50 million people both at home and abroad participating, playing a positive role for the international community in better understanding China, Du said.

The contest will expand international perspectives and enhance the international narration of Chinese stories, focusing on telling the stories of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and their practices, according to Du. 

The event was organized by CICG and the publicity department of the Zhejiang provincial committee of the CPC. 

Cheng Manli, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication of Peking University, told the Global Times on Monday that the contest has helped to spread stories of China in a diversified manner, especially through some foreign friends with their first-hand experience, which can help those living overseas know the real China.

Colson Marecha, an overseas student from Zimbabwe who is studying at Wenzhou University, told the Global Times that it was his first time attending the event and it was a good experience to know China's stories in this way.

Anna Stelmakh from Russia is one of the overseas communication officers who posted what she has seen and experienced in China on overseas platforms. Stelmakh told the Global Times on Monday that she was quite interested in Chinese traditional culture and she thought the long history of China also enriched world civilization.