Younger generation carries forward China-Malaysia traditional friendship

　　Cheok Xuan Yu, a Malaysian student who is studying at Tianjin University, poses with a paper square bearing the Chinese characterfu, which means good fortune, during a cultural exchange event at the university. [Photo provided to China Daily]

　　For Malaysian student Cheok Xuan Yu, life in China is filled with cultural encounters.

　　Just a week before this year's Spring Festival, she and a group of international students from Tianjin University traveled to Yangliuqing, an ancient town on the outskirts of Tianjin, to experience the traditional craft of woodblock New Year prints.

　　“The five-step process — drawing, carving, printing, painting and mounting — showed me how intricate the pictures are and how culture can drive an entire industry,“ Cheok recalled.

　　It was the second time Cheok spent the Spring Festival holiday in China. “It feels just like home,“ she said. “We also have reunion dinners and festive red envelopes in Malaysia, and there are many similarities between Chinese and Malaysian cultures.“

　　The 22-year-old, who is now studying at Tianjin University's School of Life Sciences, was among the 87 Malaysian students at the university who jointly wrote a letter to President Xi Jinping in March last year to express their feelings about China's development and the Chinese people's friendliness.

　　In the letter, the students said they were determined to act as messengers and promoters of Chinese-Malaysian friendship and aspired to use their knowledge to help build a China-Malaysia community with a shared future.