23 October 2015 - Philippine Ambassador to China Erlinda F. Basilio recently welcomed to the Embassy a delegation of 25 children from primary schools in various cities around China who participated in the Young Cultural Ambassadors program organized by the School Culture Research Branch of the Chinese Society of Education. The schoolchildren, accompanied by four teachers, visited the Embassy to learn more about Philippine culture and society.

During their visit, the Embassy made a presentation on Philippine arts and culture including Filipino music and dance, Philippine festivals, Filipino sports and games, among many other aspects of Filipino culture. They were taught a Filipino folk song, with the children gamely pronouncing the song’s Filipino lyrics. A live demonstration of basic arnis moves piqued the children’s interest. A Filipino magician from the Filipino community in Beijing performed magic tricks, to the obvious delight and enjoyment of the schoolchildren.

The Young Cultural Ambassadors also shared with Ambassador Basilio and Embassy personnel some aspects of Chinese culture as they played traditional Chinese musical instruments and performed traditional Chinese dances. Each of the members of the delegation presented a handmade gift to the Ambassador, which they said was their way of showing appreciation for the warm welcome accorded to them by the Embassy.

The Embassy prepared a typical Filipino merienda of arroz caldo, pancit guisado, puto and maja blanca for the Young Cultural Ambassadors. They each received a gift bag with Philippine dried mangoes, Filipino snack foods and a copy each of the children’s book “Alamat: A Selection of Philippine Folk Tales,” which contains Filipino folk stories in the Chinese language. END