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Sister and Friendship City Commemorative Events
Citizens enjoy foreign culture
～Chongqing Day, Honolulu Day～
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Hiroshima City has established sister and friendship city days for each of the six overseas cities with which it has a sister city or friendship city relationship.
From 2003, the City of Hiroshima has consigned the holding of these commemorative events to this Foundation.
The MCs for each event are the Hiroshima citizens appointed as Hiroshima Messengers by the City of Hiroshima.
Chongqing Day
The commemorative event for Chongqing Day was held at Hiroshima City International House on October 21, 2017.
Visitors to the event were welcomed by a display of chrysanthemums that was a gift from Chongqing City, after which they had a chance to taste Chinese moon cakes, mahua snacks and oolong tea.
At the opening ceremony, speeches were given by the chairperson of the executive committee and the Mayor of Hiroshima, and a message from the Mayor of Chongqing was read out.
Next, the two Hiroshima Messengers gave a clear presentation using photos on Chongqing City's tourist spots, towns, unique food culture and more.
This was followed by a mini-lesson on the Chinese language.
In the commemorative show, there was a performance of tai chi by the members of the
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Henmen (mask change) dance by Asian Dragon
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Hiroshima branch of the Japan-China Friendship Association, and the audience also tried the slow graceful moves of tai chi themselves.
Next, there was a performance by Asian Dragon, a group that performs Beijing opera and martial arts throughout Asia.
The group performed a traditional Chinese henmen (mask change) dance, martial arts demonstration and southern lion dance, exciting the cheering audience.
The event ended with a prize draw of items provided by Chongqing City.
Around 130 people attended the event.
They deepened their understanding of Chongqing City and China as they enjoyed various cultural experiences.
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Honolulu Day
The commemorative event for Honolulu Day was held on November 11, 2017, at the underground event space at the south exit of Hiroshima Station.
Visitors to the event were welcomed with flavored coffee and fruit juice.
The event opened with a performance of the classical hula dance kahiko.
This was followed by speeches by the chairperson of the executive committee, the deputy mayor of Hiroshima, and a video speech by the mayor of Honolulu.
Next, the two Hiroshima Messengers gave a presentation on Honolulu's myth of the rainbow, the meaning of the colors, and Japanese culture, projecting photos on the big screen at the venue.
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This was followed by a Hawaiian band and hula dance show.
The authentic performance and colorful hula performance created a tropical Hawaiian mood at the venue.
The event ended with a chorus of "I Love Hawaii".
Everyone in the audience sang along and experienced the Hawaiian atmosphere for themselves.
At the venue there were Hawaiian goods on display and for sale, and visitors could try making ribbon leis for themselves.
Around 500 people participated, enjoying themselves as they deepened their understanding of Honolulu City.
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Colorful hula dance show
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| (International Relations & Cooperation Division ) |
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