On May 19, just two days before the 7th International Tea Day, the Wuzhishan Rainforest Children’s Choir from Wuzhishan City in central Hainan province, along with other members of a Hainan delegation, set off from Sanya Phoenix International Airport for tea and folk song related cultural exchanges in Italy, where they plan to show the world how diverse and incredible the local and traditional ethnic culture of the Hainan Free Trade Port can be.

A group photo of the choir at the airport before boarding.

International Tea Day was begun by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN in 2019. At the event, the Wuzhishan choir will perform its original song Lishan Cha’ge (Tea-collecting Song in the Mountains where the Li People Dwell) as well as the Italian classic Santa Lucia. The delegation will also participate in Li culture themed dance performances and fashion shows in order to showcase the beauty of the indigenous Hainan Li people’s ancient cultural traditions.

The event will feature trade matching for local Wuzhishan tea products as well, with themed promotions for Wuzhishan Rainforest Big-leaf Tea and Hainan creative cultural products. Tea masters from Hainan will demonstrate tea making, inviting attendees to taste tea grown in the green Wuzhishan Mountain region.

The delegation also plans to visit several Rome landmarks such as the Piazza di Spagna and Castel Sant'Angelo, where they will hold flash-mob activities, giving passersby the opportunity for first-hand interactions with and deeper impressions of the unique culture of Hainan.

Communications between the local and visiting young people, as well as industry-level discussions between both countries will be an important part of the itinerary, setting up a bridge of friendship across borders through music and cultural exchange.

Istituto Marangoni is another important stop on the delegation’s itinerary. There, in-depth discussions are planned to be held on the further internationalization of Li Brocade and how to better bring this ancient art into the global fashion industry, building a foundation for mutual research and cooperation between Hainan and Italy.

“We are looking forward to singing our folk songs out on the international stage, but more importantly, we want to show the whole world how lush Hainan’s natural scenery is and how diverse the culture here is. The children of Wuzhishan can also take the opportunity to see more of the world”, an event organizer from Wuzhishan City said, adding that the event will also hopefully open up a path for local tea industry, culture, tourism and Hainan’s intangible cultural heritage to be seen and loved by people from around the world.

“Through this event, the development of the Hainan FTP can be felt more vividly.”