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Walter Nyamukondiwa in Beijing, China Senior Reporter
At least 80 journalists from 70 countries around the world have commenced the China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) 2023 Press Exchange Programme in the capital Beijing.
The journalists are drawn from Africa, including Zimbabwe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Euro-Asia.
The four-month program has been organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA).
Participants will learn about China’s culture, socio-economic status, diplomacy, science and technology.
On the cultural front, participants had an opportunity to peek into China’s artistic and expressive history through calligraphy and a tour of the Forbidden City, an expansive architectural monument.
It housed successive Emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties from 1368 to 1911.
Also known as the Palace Museum, the Forbidden City attracts thousands of people every day, drawn by the allure of history and architecture.
Like a typical city, the Forbidden City is complete with shops and a repertoire of shops to quench thirst and sate hunger as one takes the rigorous tour.
It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
The journalists will experience the operations at various Chinese media houses, technology firms and corporates that underwrite China’s economic growth.
CIPCC has lined up workshops, media training and exchange programmes.
Programme director Mr Yu Lei said the programme seeks to strengthen cooperation between media organisations in China and developing countries.
“We have cordial relations with all the countries involved culminating in the opening of the China-Africa centre and subsequent centres in four other regions.
Participants took paint, paper and brush to learn the Chinese Fu, which solicits good fortune and abundance from the gods.
The highly artistic form of writing elicits a balance of a steady hand, dexterity and rhythm, topped off with Chinese strings reminiscent of Kung Fu movies of old.
Online Reporter