On the morning of July 9th, the screening ceremony of the 2026 "Looking@China Youth Film Project" came to an end at Beijing Normal University(BNU). The event lasted for three months and invited 90 foreign youth from 38 countries and 9 foreign instructors. Centering on the theme of "City Charm, Modern Style and Urban Vitality", they successively completed 90 documentary short films in 9 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China. Foreign youth wander through the streets and alleys of Chinese cities, delving into the daily lives of ordinary people. They experience the charm of the cities at the intersection of historical context and modern trends, capture the vigorous vitality in the development of the times, and present a trustworthy, lovable and respectable image of China to the world through their lenses.

Diplomatic officials from Thailand, Jordan and other countries accredited in China, over 30 foreign teachers and students from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Brazil, Singapore, Thailand and other countries, over 100 domestic experts and scholars, as well as more than 20 members of the "Looking@China" organizing committee gathered together to attend this grand event. The screening ceremony was presided over by Luo Jun, Deputy Director of the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture(AICCC).

Wu Yujun, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee of BNU, said in his speech that as an important brand of the university's international communication practice, the "Looking@China Youth Film Project" has attracted young people from over 100 countries around the world to China over the past sixteen years. They have recorded historical context, folk customs, ecological construction and the development of The Times from a youth perspective and with international expression, creating nearly a thousand image works. It has become an important platform for young people from China and abroad to enhance understanding, deepen friendship and promote mutual learning among civilizations. Looking to the future, the school will further strengthen its academic and theoretical support, expand its global cooperation network, integrate communication forms such as AI image creation, digital screening, and cross-border online co-creation, continuously cultivate young international communication talents with both a global perspective and cultural awareness, and promote "Looking@China Youth Film Project" to become an important window for young people from all countries to perceive the real China and tell the story of contemporary China.

Huang Huilin, Senior Professor at BNU, Dean of AICCC and founder of the "Looking@China Youth Film Project", said in his speech that the project is not only an important window for the world to understand China, but also an exchange platform for young people from China and abroad to enhance understanding and build friendship. Foreign youth, through personal experience and video creation, seek, discover and feel China with their own eyes, recording the real and vivid social life and the sincere emotions of ordinary people. May more and more foreign youth continue to move forward with the friendship and insights they have gained in China, record the truth with images, connect hearts with sincerity, and become active promoters of friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries.

The screening ceremony screened six short films representing different perspectives and artistic styles, depicting a contemporary picture of China where tradition and modernity interweave and vitality and life coexist from various aspects. Experts and scholars respectively commented on the works.

The "Looking@China Youth Film Project" is not only a platform for creative exchanges between Chinese and foreign youth, but also continuously nurtures deep friendships that transcend national boundaries. The project has a profound and lasting influence. Since the establishment of the "Looking@China" alumni association by the organizers in 2021, many foreign teachers and students who have participated in the project have maintained close contact and actively engaged in subsequent cooperation. Many foreign youth have returned to China in new capacities such as mentors and visiting members, deepening their ties with the country. The Institute of Chinese Culture | Jingshi Academy will fully empower the "Looking@China Youth Film Project", nourishing creative inspiration with academic accumulation, expanding narrative boundaries through international platforms, and making each short film a vivid footnote to the mutual learning of civilizations.