BEIJING,Dec. 20,2024 -- Peng Liyuan,wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping,encouraged students in the Macao Special Administrative Region to deepen their understanding of the history of Chinese culture and engage in both regional and national development during a visit to the Macau Museum on Thursday.

"I hope you learn more about the history of Chinese culture,study it well and use the knowledge to better build our homeland and make Macao even better," Peng said after talking with students at the museum.

During her visit,Peng admired the cultural relics,gained an in-depth understanding of Macao's historical evolution and the blend of Chinese and Western architecture,industries and cultural life. She also joined an activity at which almond cookies,a local delicacy,were made and interacted with artisans skilled in tile painting and wood carving.

Peng is in Macao accompanying Xi for the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to China.

Over the past 25 years,Macao has leveraged its rich historical and cultural heritages to promote traditional Chinese culture and foster cultural exchanges between China and other countries,using its geographical advantage.

Macao is now home to at least 12 national intangible cultural heritages including Cantonese Opera,Cantonese Naamyam (Narrative Songs),Herbal Tea Brewing and Festival of the Drunken Dragon,reflecting that traditional Chinese culture has been well preserved and inherited in the region.

Initiatives such as the "Chinese Excellent Traditional Culture into the Campus" have helped instill love for traditional Chinese culture and patriotic values in the younger generations by facilitating student visits to places like Xian Xinghai Memorial Museum and General Ye Ting's Former Residence.

In addition,over the past years,the SAR has vigorously enhanced cultural exchanges between Macao students and their mainland counterparts,setting a strong foundation for Macao students to better integrate into the overall development of the country.

In December 2021,about 170 primary and secondary school students from Macao participated in the "Tiangong Class," a space education program connected to China's space station,hosted at the Macao Science Center. During the activity,they had the chance to interact with astronauts.

Since its inception in 2005,the Cultural Practice Activities for Hong Kong and Macao University Students has engaged thousands of young people from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. In 2023,students from Macao and Hong Kong visited Xiong'an New Area and held in-depth discussions on topics like entrepreneurship and employment at the Zhongguancun Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Youth Innovation Center.

In addition to its active integration into national development,Macao strategically utilizes its geographical advantages to promote cultural exchanges between China and other countries.

Bordering the Pacific Ocean in the east,Macao is known as one of the first cities in China to open to the outside world,evolving into a vibrant cultural exchange hub between China and the West.

The China-Portugal Joint Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Conservation Science,supported by the Belt and Road Initiative,received grants from China's Ministry of Science and Technology in September 2020.

As a national-level strategic platform for technological innovation,co-established by the City University of Macau and the University of Évora in Portugal,the joint lab is based in Soochow University in east China's Jiangsu Province.

To date,the laboratory has served as a bridge between China,Portugal and other BRI partner countries,promoting China's cultural narrative,fostering cultural confidence and safeguarding cultural heritages along the Maritime Silk Road.

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