On 5 March 2025, the ASEAN-China Centre successfully hosted the “Blossoms of Spring: ASEAN-China Lady Cultural Gathering” in Beijing. Over 60 participants attended the event, including Secretary General of the ASEAN-China Centre Shi Zhongjun and his spouse, along with Ms. Zhang Qian, Vice President of the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Ms. Song Mei, Deputy District Mayor of Xicheng District. The visit was also attended by the spouses of the Ambassadors from the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, the DCMs of the Embassy of Malaysia and Myanmar, female diplomats as well as spouses of the diplomats from AMS Embassies. 

Secretary General Shi Zhongjun extended sincere festival greetings and best wishes to all the female guests just before the arrival of spring and the upcoming International Women's Day. He appreciated the indispensable role that women play in our society. He emphasized that the women, as the activity theme “Blooms of Spring” indicates, like the spring flowers, symbolize beauty, resilience and vitality, and play a pivotal role in promoting ASEAN-China cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Ms. Saw Sandy Zaw, DCM of the Embassy of Myanmar, expressed her gratitude to the ACC for organizing the event to celebrate the International Women’s Day. She highlighted the unique and important role of women in diplomatic work and their commitment to deepening the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and building a closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future.

Madame Ana Elena S. FlorCruz, the spouse of Ambassador of the Philippines, stated that this event was filled with vibrancy and creativity, offering the participants the insights into Chinese traditional culture as well as the charm of innovation and cross-cultural integration. She also noted that to celebrate the 50th anniversary of China-Philippines diplomatic relations, the Philippine Embassy would host many events this year and look forward to everyone’s participation.

The cultural gathering consisted of multiple engaging activities, including a guided tour of Baita Temple, a traditional Chinese tea-making performance, the cloisonné brooch making workshop, and a modern art painting exhibition. To start with, all the guests explored the architectural features of the temple and the culture of Hutong. Then they created their own cloisonné brooches with guidance of intangible cultural heritage inheritors, immersed in the charm of traditional Chinese handicraft skills.

The participants spoke highly of today's event, unanimously expressing that they had a better understanding of ancient Chinese architectural culture, traditional folk customs and intangible cultural heritage in Beijing while acquiring a deeper appreciation of “sharing beauty in diversity”.