Internal working platform of Yunnan Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

On June 22, the 2024 China-Laos Border Residents’ Gala and the First Tropical Rainforest Cultural Tourism Festival with the theme of "Mountains and Rivers Connecting and Sharing Rainforests" came to a successful conclusion in Mengla County.

The gala, with the theme of "Mountains and Rivers Connecting and Sharing Rainforests", was guided by the China People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and hosted by the Yunnan People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the People's Government of Xishuangbanna Prefecture and the Lao Consulate General in Kunming. China and Laos celebrated friendship and talked about the future, fully demonstrating the achievements of friendly cooperation and development in the China-Laos border area.

Let’s review the highlights of the 2024 China-Laos Border Residents’ Gala and the First Tropical Rainforest Cultural Tourism Festival.

On June 20, leaders and guests from both China and Laos gathered together to witness the signing ceremony and donation ceremony. Yunnan is the only province bordering China and Laos. In recent years, the "visiting relatives" style visits between Yunnan and Laos have become increasingly close, and cooperation in multiple fields has continued to heat up. At present, Yunnan Province and Laos have established 8 pairs of international sister cities and 4 pairs of friendly villages. Yunnan-Laos cooperation has always been at the forefront of local cooperation between the two countries. Yunnan Province has successively implemented 28 "Heart-to-Heart Yunnan Tour" small and beautiful projects in Laos, covering agriculture, education, health, biodiversity protection and other fields, and achieved practical results.

On the same day, the "Meet Intangible Cultural Heritage" Mengla County Tropical Rainforest Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition was also held at the Rainbow Life Museum in Nanla New District. The exhibition collections are all works from representative inheritors of Mengla's national, provincial, state and county-level intangible cultural heritage.

On June 21, the "International Lao Geng" fair of the China-Laos border residents was held in Manlie Village, Mengman Town, the first village on the China-Laos border.Local people of all ethnic groups and vendors from Laos set up stalls at the market to sell their products. Their products are full of "Dai flavor" and strong "Border" color. The market is filled with a full sense of happiness, and the "old men" all talk about their vision for a happy future.Mi Guangxiangexplain:“My biggest feeling is that the friendship between Laos and us is everlasting, and I am grateful for the government’s help.”

50 years ago, scientists confirmed the existence of tropical rainforests in Mengla County for the first time. This was not only a major discovery in geography, but also an important promotion of the concept of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. At the Wangtianshu Lecture Hall - a special lecture on the 50th anniversary of the discovery of tropical rainforests in China, experts and scholars from home and abroad gathered together to review the process of discovery, protection and research of tropical rainforests in China based on detailed historical materials and scientific research results, and to discuss the protection challenges facing tropical rainforests and the future development direction. At the lecture hall, experts and scholars shared their new discoveries and new ideas in tropical rainforest research, and put forward many forward-looking suggestions and plans.
The friendship between countries lies in the friendship between people, and the friendship between people lies in the mutual understanding. Sports are also an effective way to promote communication between border residents. At the Mengla County National Sports Stadium, the China-Laos Border Residents Football Friendly Match kicked off. On the field, players from both sides tried their best, enjoying the passion and happiness brought by football. The friendship between China and Laos continued and spread through sports events.
During the period, a series of activities were held, including a symposium on cooperation and exchange on port development between China's Mengla County and Laos' Namphora Province, and a brand launch conference for "Worry-free Mengla Rainforest Farming", which further demonstrated the effectiveness of cultural exchanges and interactions, visits between relatives, and a shared destiny among the border residents of China and Laos.
Take the train of the China-Laos Railway to Mengla for a friendship appointment. The 2024 China-Laos Border Residents’ Gala also held a special Chinese and foreign media experience event. Foreign media reporters from Laotian People’s Daily, Pathet Lao News Agency, Lao National Radio, Lao National Television, New Vientiane Daily and domestic media reporters from People’s Daily, China Daily, China News Service, Yunnan Daily, Yunnan Television, Yunnan.com, etc., immersively experienced the China-Laos Border Residents’ Gala, felt the border customs and cultural heritage of Xishuangbanna, and jointly told the story of the friendly exchanges between the China-Laos border residents and the harmony and stability of the border areas.

Xishuangbanna and Laos have been connected by mountains and rivers since ancient times, and the people share the same roots. Peng Kandi, a reporter from Lao National Television, took a train from Vientiane to Xishuangbanna to experience "There is a kind of life called Yunnan"”"I took a train from Vientiane to Mengla to see their life here. It's similar to life in Laos, especially like life in Nantha," said Peng Kandi.

Li Jincan, a reporter from China Daily Yunnan News Agency, said: "I am very happy to have the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful event. In the future, I hope to exchange experiences through more media activities, so that Chinese and Lao media can lead the people of the two countries to understand and share with each other, and deepen the friendship between China and Laos."

Since 2022, Mengla County, Yunnan Province and Laos have jointly held the "China-Laos Border Residents' Carnival", with a total of more than 200,000 participants. Drinking from the same river, our destinies are closely linked. Over the past half century since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Laos have gone through thick and thin together, and their friendship is like a surging river, constantly flowing forward.