Cultural exchange takes to baseball diamond

Zhang Qiyue (third from left), China’s consul general in New York, stands with other award-winners at Citi Field in New York on Aug 12, during the ninth An Evening of Chinese Culture, an annual event co-hosted by the New York Met sand the Sin o-American Friendship Association. Honored for their contributions to China-US cultural exchanges were (from right) Larry Lee, vice-chairman of China Daily USA; New York City Councilman Peter Koo; Zhang; Xue Yaping, director of the China National Tourist Office in New York; event honorary co-chairwoman Margaret Lam; and David Yen, of the Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area Management Committee. To promote the Year of China-US Tourism, a video featuring the Giant Buddha of Leshan in Sichuan province in Southwest China was shown on the large outfield screen during the Mets-San Diego Padres game. Folk songs, dances and martial arts were also performed. “I think sports and culture are a really good platform for the promotion of mutual understanding between people of different countries and cultures. With this event, we are hoping to further promote the Year of Tourism between the US and China,” Zhang said.