Tokyo, April 30th (People's Daily) - Osaka News: Recently, the "China Japan 24 Solar Terms Cultural Promotion and Exchange Activity" hosted by the Dolphin Publishing House of the China Foreign Languages Bureau was successfully held at the China Pavilion of the Osaka World Expo. This event is linked by the 24 solar terms, aiming to deepen cultural exchanges between China and Japan and promote friendly exchanges between the two peoples.

Yu Tao, Deputy Director of the China Foreign Languages Administration, and Xue Jian, Consul General of China in Osaka, attended the event and delivered speeches. Japanese House of Representatives member and Vice Chairman of the Japan China Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, Wanli Kaieda, and Deputy Mayor of Dunhuang City, Wei Mingchen, delivered speeches. Experts, scholars, cultural figures, and youth representatives from China and Japan gathered together to explore the inheritance and innovation of solar term culture.

Yu Tao, Deputy Director of the China Foreign Languages Administration, delivered a speech.

Yu Tao, Deputy Director of the China Foreign Languages Administration, delivered a speech. Photo provided by Dolphin Publishing House

Yu Tao stated that the unique seasonal culture of the 24 solar terms, which has been inherited and developed through the mutual correspondence between China and Japan, has long been integrated into the cultural soil of each country, forming cultural treasures with unique characteristics and complementing each other. It has become a vivid manifestation of mutual learning and exchange between the two countries, and constitutes an important link in East Asian civilization exchange. We hope that through this event, the cultural treasure of the 24 solar terms will continue to nourish the friendly relations between China and Japan, promote the two countries to move from "living adjacent" to "heart to heart", and inject lasting vitality into building an Asian community with a shared future.

Speech by Xue Jian, Consul General of China in Osaka.

Speech by Xue Jian, Consul General of China in Osaka. Photo provided by Dolphin Publishing House

Xue Jian pointed out that in recent years, the cultural exchange of solar terms between the two countries has become increasingly in-depth. The 24 solar terms themed works published by the Dolphin Publishing House of the China Foreign Languages Administration provide useful references for the Japanese people to gain a deeper understanding of this intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The Chinese Consulate General in Osaka will support cultural institutions of the two countries to carry out deeper cultural exchanges and cooperation, making cultural activities a bridge and bond that connects the hearts of the two peoples.

Kaieda Wanli emphasized that solar term culture reminds people to respect nature and coexist harmoniously with it. He hopes that through this event, Japanese people can get closer to solar term traditions and promote their revival in Japan.

Wei Mingchen, Vice Mayor of the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, took the murals of "farming in the rain" in Cave 23 of Dunhuang and the Tibetan scripture cave literature "Poems on Twenty four Qi" as examples to show the profound connotation of solar term culture in Chinese civilization. He called on all sectors of China and Japan to work together to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of solar term culture.

New product display of the "24 Solar Terms Nature Academy".

On site guests browse related products. Photo provided by Dolphin Publishing House

At the event, the "24 Solar Terms Natural Science Academy" released multiple innovative products, including the upcoming books "Japanese Story of the 24 Solar Terms" and "Listen! This is the 24 Solar Terms" accessible courses, as well as the 24 Solar Terms Divine Face Sculpture.

Song Yingjie, author of "The Story of the 24 Solar Terms in Japan" and director of the 24 Solar Terms Key Laboratory of the China Meteorological Administration, introduced that the book showcases the unique charm of Japanese solar term culture from a transnational perspective. The inheritance, promotion, and innovation of the 24 Solar Terms in Japan are also a joy for the culture of the 24 Solar Terms. The accessible course "Listen! This is the 24 Solar Terms" uses songs, picture books, animations, and sign language performances to allow more children to experience the natural rhythm.

The "24 Solar Terms Nature College" is a comprehensive cultural and educational service platform established under the joint guidance of the China Foreign Languages Administration, China Meteorological Administration, and the 24 Solar Terms Protection and Inheritance Alliance, dedicated to the international dissemination and educational practice of the 24 Solar Terms culture. The head of the college, Wang Ran, stated that the college is preparing to establish a branch in Japan and will launch a series of activities in the future, such as the "Sino Japanese Solar Terms Creative Competition", "Solar Terms City Tour Study", and "Sino Japanese Solar Terms Cultural Exchange Forum", to further deepen cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Chinese and Japanese guests engaged in a multidimensional dialogue on the modern significance and preservation of the 24 solar terms. Machida Rinai, an associate professor at Aichi Prefecture University in Japan, compared the evolution of solar terms culture between China and Japan and its impact on cultural life. Wang Yan, a lecturer at Nanshan University in Japan, analyzed the literary value of solar terms from the perspective of haiku.

Tomosuki Nishihara, president of the Japan China Science, Technology and Culture Center, pointed out that solar terms are closely related to the life of Japanese people. He believed that with solar terms as the common language, the friendly relationship between the people of China and Japan would be further deepened.

The teachers and students of the Confucius Institute at Osaka University of Technology shared their thoughts on cultural heritage from the perspective of Generation Z, and look forward to deepening their understanding of Chinese culture through the practical platform of the Japan branch of the 24 Solar Terms Natural Science Institute.

Wu Rujun, a Peking Opera performer and director of a Japanese Peking Opera theater, performed the Jinghu opera.

Wu Rujun, a Peking Opera performer and director of a Japanese Peking Opera theater, performed the Jinghu opera. Photo provided by Dolphin Publishing House

At the event, Wu Rujun, a Peking Opera performer and director of a Japanese Peking Opera theater, performed a solo piece called "Spring Breeze" to blend tradition and modernity, symbolizing the endless vitality of solar term culture.

The intangible cultural heritage exhibition area of the China Pavilion displays picture book scrolls.

The intangible cultural heritage exhibition area of the China Pavilion displays picture book scrolls. Photo provided by Dolphin Publishing House

On the day of the event, the intangible cultural heritage exhibition area of the China Pavilion at the Osaka World Expo showcased a long scroll of the picture book "The 24 Solar Terms of a City: Suzhou" jointly published by Dolphin Publishing House and Guwu Xuan Publishing House, attracting many tourists to stop and enjoy.

Group photo of event guests.

Group photo of event guests. Photo provided by Dolphin Publishing House