Colorful Young Dreams on the Belt and Road

Each generation has its own mission and responsibility, and the youth exchange program is an important force for gathering young people to participate in social construction. As a bond of youth, a connection of culture, and a bridge of friendship, the Silk Road & Young Dreams (SRYD) project attracts numerous young people to recognize, participate and share the "Belt and Road" initiative in interesting ways, and builds a stage for youths from all over the world to exchange ideas and show their talents. The project also provides a platform for the youngsters to perceive the pulse of the times, focus on social hot spots, and inspires young people to play an active role in poverty alleviation, environmental protection and health issues.

The Financial Dream

Financial support is a key factor in achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and boosting rural revitalization. Mr. Wong Chin Thien, who is working at Malaysian branch of China Construction Bank, is deeply impressed by the poverty alleviation and green development work he engaged in. Especially in last year, he participated in the preparations of Western China International Sourcing Exhibition. At the exhibition, CCB's Malaysian branch combined with the poverty alleviation projects of the headquarter and integrated resources with digital and innovative means, so as to help poor farmers improve production and increase income, and support the development of characteristic industries in poverty-stricken areas. From the preliminary data collection to preparation of the press release preparation; from understanding the background and product services to arranging online exhibitions; from customers contact to the signing ceremony... Mr. Wong gained a lot in every interaction and cooperation, he felt that finance has truly became a solid force that is positive for good. “Each opportunity broadened my horizons and knowledge. I am very honored and proud to be able to promote the 'Belt and Road' strategic cooperation and the development of Malaysia and China", he said.

In Malaysia, the mainstream media in Chinese, English, and Malaysian report the activities related to the "Belt and Road" with a high frequency and range. Malaysians have a high degree of awareness and acceptance to the "B&R" initiative. In Mr. Wong's view, the new infrastructure projects in Malaysia can effectively promote the economic development. At the same time, they can bring more market opportunities to the locals and accelerate Malaysia's progress towards becoming a more advanced and inclusive country.

In 2019, Mr. Wong Chin Thien came to Beijing for the "Silk Road & Young Dreams" Chinese speech contest for the first time. In just three days and two nights, he was most impressed by the cultural exchange activities arranged by the organizers for competitors. He harvested friendship and memories while tasting the food, watching the cultural performances and visiting tourism attractions.

After knowing that this year's SRYD event was themed with "Poverty Reduction and Development", Mr. Wong once again signed up for the competition. He hoped that he could record precious memories of participating in poverty alleviation and green development through this opportunity.

The Green Dream

"China and Sri Lanka have been close and tight friends from the days of ancient Silk Road. At present, under the background of Belt & Road initiative, China has initiated several projects in Sri Lanka, further strengthened this bond, such as Colombo international financial city, Hambanthota port and adjoining industrial estate, Moragahakanda reservoir project, etc.", Ms. E. Thushani, a young lecturer from Sri Lanka, said. She feels that these projects bring more opportunities to the economy and provide faster cargo transportation and travel convenience for tourists and local communities. "Many people's daily lives have been positively affected by Belt and Road initiative. Sri Lankan people could not daily travel from Colombo to Southern area before the express ways were introduced. However, now the express ways have not only given the opportunity to the distant workers to stay with their families, but also made an extraordinary financial growth in the country. Moreover, the industrial estates have generated more job opportunities."

A few years ago, Ms. E. Thushani visited a village in Zhejiang Province, China, when she was studying in China. Recalling the scene at that time, the beautiful mountains, fresh air, clean rivers and streets are still fresh in her memory. She couldn't imagine that in the early 21st century there was once a heavily polluted mining area. People's health was affected by the smoggy air and muddy rivers. In conversations with local villagers, she learned that these earth-shaking changes have benefited from the government's emphasis on protecting the ecological environment while developing the economy. Thus, the polluted village turns into a tourist paradise, and truly achieves sustainable development.

This is just one of many cases of poverty elimination in China. Ms. E. Thushani shared this story with other young people at the 4th "Silk Road & Young Dreams". She believes that China's successful practices can be used as reference for other underdeveloped regions in the world, taking advantage of resources and joining hands to build a green and healthy home.

The Winter Olympics Dream

"The wind is blowing and the snow is falling. Be brave, and we shall reap the glory of the youth", this is one of lyrics from the song When the Ice is Shining, which is jointly originated by young music lovers from 6 countries. It expresses the expectations and blessings of young people for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. This song won the first prize of the music competition in the 4th Silk Road & Young Dreams.

The song's MV starts from the perspective of an Olympic athlete. He sets off in the morning of the snowy world, the past experience teaches him to be firm in his faith. He fights hard for the honor and glory. At the same time, athletes from different countries, under the light of the Olympic flame, resolve estrangement with the most genuine friendship, respect, and understanding. The pure ice and snow purify people's hearts and connect people together.

During the creation of the song, the choir members encountered a lot of difficulties. Mr. Shin Moonsub, composer of the song and head of Shenzhen University International Choir, said, "Seeing that the sub-theme of this year's event was the Winter Olympics, we immediately decided to create a song with special significance. The song expresses the good prospects for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and also contains the true desire for peace and friendship. Affected by the epidemic, the choir members are based in different countries. We could only record separately, rehearse online, and finally edit the material together. We encountered many difficulties, but we did not give up. The Olympic games light up our dreams".

The Photography Dream

Mr. Ziaul Huque from Bangladesh is a freelance photographer. He likes to capture photos which represent natural beauty and the condition of a country. From the beginning of his life, Mr. Ziaul Huque lived in an urban area, but he always thought about how the people lead their life in rural areas. He went closer to them and decided to tell their stories through photography, which became Mr. Ziaul Huque's dream and career-dedication.

The photo Brick Field Worker was taken in Hathazari, Bangladesh. The child in the photo is advancing his life by working as a brick field worker in pursuit of a livelihood at the age when he is supposed to go to school. But the child is not overwhelmed by the hardships of life, his face is still filled with a bright smile. In Mr. Ziaul Huque's eyes, the people of Bangladesh love to make a living by working hard, no matter how difficult it may be. No matter how difficult it is, they can get out of the haze of life through hard work. This photo won the first prize in the 4th SRYD Photography Competition.

Furthermore, from Mr. Ziaul Huque's view, the Silk Road & Young Dreams event creates a wonderful opportunity for young people from all over the world to come together and know each other.

The Start-up Dream

Young people's innovation and entrepreneurship are the important forces that promote the progress of the society. The 4th Silk Road & Young Dreams Start-up Competition guides the youths to learn from China's poverty reduction experience, so as to enhance their awareness and understanding to the hardships in combating poverty. The youths are encouraged to transform and innovate the China's poverty alleviation modes to their own countries and start their own business projects. Facing challenges together, youth innovative start-up is a shared opportunity to promote global poverty reduction and common development.

Mr. G.D. Dimuthu Lakmal from Sri Lanka has participated in the "Belt and Road" construction as an engineer, he believes that China's poverty alleviation plan is a good example to be learned by many Southeast Asian countries including Sri Lanka. "As the younger generation, we should take the responsibility of creating a greener and more sustainable country."

The poverty alleviation case in China inspired Mr. G.D. Dimuthu Lakmal a lot. He analyzed the economic, political, cultural and natural conditions of his area and designed a project of Customizable Organic Paddy Farming for Traditional Seeds, which aims to motivate people to use local rice varieties and improve the quality, and eliminate extreme poverty among rice farmers.

Unlike Mr. Lakmal, Ms. Fathiya Mohamed Said, is a young Tanzanian student who is studying in China now. She hopes to enables more people to see China's targeted poverty alleviation and green economic development through her story. "I benefited a lot through studing the case of 'Exchanging Points for Provisions at Litang's Care Mart'. In this project, the bonus points enable the villagers to engage in public welfare work more proactively. What’s more, the introduction of e-commerce has opened a new door for the people to make money. The villagers need to continuously learn new skills to adapt to market needs, through this way, they can be lifted out of poverty."

Ms. Fathiya Mohamed Said also innovated 2 new plans for Litang County, namely Education Care and Agriculture & Farming Care. Education is the cure to poverty, increased access to education can contribute to blocking the intergenerational transmission of poverty.