"Chinafest" held in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia

DUISBURG, Germany, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The "Chinafest" in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) opened on Friday in Duisburg, Germany.

At the city center, traditional Chinese culture, music, art, sports, workshops and culinary delights are drawing visitors on the stage and in red tents during the three-day festival.

An important platform for Sino-German cultural exchanges, the "Chinafest" in NRW, which alternates between the three cities of Duisburg, Dusseldorf and Cologne from year to year, was suspended for two consecutive years due to the impact of the COVID-19.

Chinese Consul General in Dusseldorf Du Chunguo, together with Soeren Link, mayor of Duisburg, Josef Hinkel, first mayor of Dusseldorf and Ralf Heinen, mayor of Cologne, announced the opening of this year's "Chinafest" in NRW.

"Chinafest" provides a broad platform for the German public to experience and understand Chinese culture in a very up-close and personal way, said Du in his speech.

Franz Schwartz, a retired German bus driver who has persisted in learning Chinese for more than 16 years, told Xinhua in fluent Chinese that the "Chinafest" was very interesting with wonderful activities and booths, offering opportunities to closely encounter with Chinese culture.