The inauguration ceremony of a national base for international youth exchanges is held in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A national base for international youth exchanges was established in Qufu, a county-level city in Jining, East China's Shandong province. It is expected to enhance cultural exchanges between youths at home and abroad, tell China's story to the world, as well as further open up the city.

The inauguration of the base was held on April 15 as a side event of the Shandong Dialogue for China-Japan-Korea Cooperation and Development.

Set up by The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Shandong provincial government, the base is located at Qufu Normal University.

According to a work plan, the base will take a series of actions to honor its commitments. It will invite experts to give a series of lectures on Confucius, a great ancient Chinese philosopher and educator born in Qufu, as well as on his philosophy.

Young students can also visit the Confucius Museum, the China Teachers Museum at the Qufu Normal University, and three Confucian sites—the Temple of Confucius, the Cemetery of Confucius, as well as the Confucius Family Mansion—to experience Confucius culture. They will also get the chance to learn archery, calligraphy, chess, martial arts, paper-cutting, and other skills.

In addition, a think tank will be established at the university to conduct research on effective ways of promoting Chinese culture and cross-cultural exchanges.

The base will also launch an online platform to share courses, information about its events, and other resources.

The base will open up new areas and help explore new ways of international cultural exchanges, said Qi Wanxut, Party secretary of Qufu Normal University.