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Closing ceremony of the 2021 Cultural City of East Asia activity is held in Shaoxing on Dec 7. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

[Photo/Facebook account: Shaoxing: A Gateway to China's History]

The 2021 Cultural City of East Asia activity concluded in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province on Dec 7.

A declaration was issued calling for tourism cooperation between Shaoxing and Dunhuang in China, Suncheon in South Korea and Kitakyushu in Japan.

The Culture City of East Asia program was proposed by the cultural ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea. One or two cultural cities from each country are named as the Culture Cities of East Asia every year to enhance intercultural communication and promote the development and prosperity of East-Asian culture through a series of cultural exchange activities.

The program was first proposed by the cultural ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea at the third ministerial conference in Nara, Japan in January 2011.

Since the program's initial launch in 2013, 21 cities in the three countries have been designated as Culture Cities of East Asia.

Local authorities said the title is a great honor for residents of the ancient city, and Shaoxing will live up to the honor by seeking more cultural and economic exchange with its 14 sister cities in Japan and South Korea.