A folk music ensemble is performed by musicians from Xiamen and Sasebo. [Photo/sunnews.cn]

A delegation from Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, paid a five-day visit to Japan's Sasebo from Oct 17 to 21 to celebrate the China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year.

Xiamen and Sasebo established a sister-city relationship in October 1983, and the two cities have made some impressive achievements in economy, trade, culture, tourism, art, and sports. The Xiamen-Sasebo Exchange Association for Teenagers has taken part in many non-governmental exchanges between the two cities and organized seven major visits to Xiamen.

A wide range of activities involving calligraphy, ink painting, chess, and folk music were held during the visit to give Japanese teenagers a chance to experience traditional Chinese culture. 

Government officials from Sasebo spoke highly of the achievements the two cities have made since the establishment of their sister-city ties, and they expressed hopes that more exchange activities would be offered for teenagers in the future so they could learn more about each other's economy, lifestyle, and culture.