The launching ceremony for the 2022 "SCO Summer" Youth Gala Week kicked off in the coastal city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong province on July 28, and the event is presenting a wide range of colorful activities to deepen cultural exchanges among the young people from member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The event, jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Shandong Provincial People's Government, will last until August 6.

Representatives from foreign embassies and consulates in China, government officials from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Shandong's culture and tourism department, and youth representatives of SCO countries, attended the launching ceremony, as well as representatives from think tanks, and media outlets.

At the launching ceremony, an album of paintings titled The Publishing Ceremony of List of UNESCO World Heritage in SCO Family was also published, which includes 224 photos of world heritage sites from 18 countries, among which eight are SCO member states, and four are observer states. Each heritage site includes a photo. The album combines pictures and texts in Chinese, Russian and English that correspond to brief descriptions, and vividly showcases the rich world heritage resources of SCO countries in terms of nature, history and culture.

The Information Resource Database of China-SCO Cultural Cooperation Projects' signing ceremony was held at the same time. The database aims to create a comprehensive platform that integrates artistic creation, performance consultation, and performance resources, and promotes exchanges and cooperation between performing arts organizations in SCO countries.

A photo exhibition also kicked off at the same time, and more than 130 photos were on display, which showcase social development, people's daily lives, customs and the natural scenery of various ethnic groups in SCO countries.

The 2022 "SCO Summer" Youth Gala Week kicks off in the coastal city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong province on July 28. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An album of paintings titled The Publishing Ceremony of List of UNESCO World Heritage in SCO Family is published on July 28. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]