On February 22nd, the award ceremony of "My China Story of Chinese Culture" International Short Video Competition and related activities were held in Jining, Shandong Province, the hometown of Confucius and Mencius. 

The event was organized by China International Communications Group (CICG) and the Information Office of the People's Government of Shandong Province, and jointly hosted by the Jining Municipal People's Government and Xufang International Digital Culture Media. It included sections such as the exhibition of award-winning works, the award ceremony, and the theme tour. About 150 people participated, including representatives of partner institutions, award-winning teams, local governments, and cooperation platforms, as well as expert judges. 

Group photo of guests and award winners at the "My China Story of Chinese Culture" International Short Video Competition award ceremony on February 22, 2023. [Photo by CICG]

Gao Anming, vice president and editor-in-chief of CICG, said at the awards ceremony:“ ‘My China Story of Chinese Culture’ International Short Video Competition has received a number of excellent videos reflecting the distinct characteristics of Chinese culture, revolving around topics like Chinese traditions, intangible cultural heritage, urban cultural tourism, and food and leisure. These videos give new, vibrant expression to Chinese traditional culture.” 

Gao Anming, vice president and editor-in-chief of CICG, speaks at the "My China Story of Chinese Culture" International Short Video Competition award ceremony on February 22, 2023. [Photo by CICG]

Sun Yingzhuo, deputy director of the Information Office of the People's Government of Shandong Province, said:" Centered around the idea of sharing Chinese culture with audiences abroad, the competition vividly displayed the beauty of both China and Shandong province through the camera. The competition effectively expanded the influence of Confucianism in the exchange and mutual learning of world civilizations. 

Sun Yingzhuo, deputy director of the Information Office of the People's Government of Shandong Province, speaks at the "My China Story of Chinese Culture" International Short Video Competition award ceremony on February 22, 2023. [Photo by CICG]

At the award ceremony, many foreign vloggers shared their own stories. Park Daeil, a vlogger from South Korea, shared that China has a variety of food, rich culture and beautiful scenery, with a lot of content worth telling and exploring. "My China Story of Chinese Culture" International Short Video Competition provides a platform for foreign vloggers to exchange, and gives the world more opportunities to understand China. 

Park Daeil, a vlogger from South Korea, speaks at the "My China Story of Chinese Culture" International Short Video Competition award ceremony on February 22, 2023. [Photo by CICG]

Jack Klumpp, the American host of "I am in China" of Xufang International Digital Culture Media, shared that the Confucian cultural heritage behind the Confucius Temple is fascinating and inspires many foreigners to dig deeper into Chinese culture. Filming the series "I am in China", he's experienced the many different facets of Chinese culture and the influence it has on the lives of the people here. 

Jack Klumpp, the American host of Xufang International Digital Culture Media, speaks at the "My China Story of Chinese Culture" International Short Video Competition award ceremony on February 22, 2023. [Photo by CICG]

"My China Story" International Short Video Competition was initiated by CICG. After four years, "My China Story" has become a well-known external communication activity integrating multilingual short video creation, topic-of-the-year competition, special topic competition, new media international communication seminar, and theme exhibition. It aims to build the most publicly recognized event brand for "China in the lens of foreigners", create the most inclusive exchange platform for global creators, and facilitate the widest cooperation among creators and platforms. 

A total of 8,194 short video works from more than 40 countries on five continents were submitted to "My China Story of Chinese Culture" International Short Video Competition. After three rounds of evaluation by seven professional judges in the fields of domestic and foreign film and television, international communication and Internet, 40 award-winning works were finally selected. These works depict the inheritance and development of Chinese culture from a third-party perspective and show the unique charm of Chinese culture to the world.