The 2024 "A Letter from Your Hometown" event kicks off at the Qingdao International Cruise Port located in the city's Shibei district on Sept 13. [Photo by Cui Dongni/for chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2024 "A Letter from Your Hometown" event kicked off at the Qingdao International Cruise Port located in the city's Shibei district on Sept 13. The event featured segments such as blessing videos from Qingdao natives living overseas, reenactments of "A Letter Home," and activities to comfort overseas Chinese.

During the event, a heartwarming video, recorded by 10 Qingdao natives living in countries such as Austria, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Kenya, and South Korea, was shown. The event also saw Liu Yuanming, a drama artist, master's supervisor, and former director of the Qingdao Cultural and Art Research Institute, invite Qingdao natives living overseas to come back home and help build a better tomorrow for their hometown.

Five international students studying in Qingdao from countries such as Ghana, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan took the stage to share their unique understanding and feelings about Qingdao, based on their experiences studying and living in the city. Olympic champion Chen Meng also cheered for her hometown of Qingdao online, inviting everyone to come and experience the unique charm of this coastal city.

The Qingdao International Cruise Port is currently marching forward with the goal of becoming a modern international metropolis window demonstration zone. Its development has not only bolstered the cruise economy, but also driven the development of cultural tourism, modern finance, innovation and more. The harmonious coexistence of port, industry, and city has become a new highlight of the city's development and a new engine for economic growth.