(B.S.B. 22nd) Zhang Jingtao, founder and chairman of the organizing committee of World Friendship Day, stated that World Friendship Day was originally planned to be held in Nepal this year, but due to local political changes, it was relocated to Brunei at the last minute.
Zhang Jingtao described this twist as "an arrangement by fate," allowing World Friendship Day the opportunity to be linked with Brunei, and making Brunei an important international window for this year's event.
Zhang Jingtao emphasized that World Friendship Day advocates "Love for Everyone, Harmony for All Beings," and put forward six concepts of making friends: "between man and heaven and earth, man and nature, man and plants, man and animals, man and others, and man and soul," aiming to eliminate barriers through culture and connect the world with friendship.
Zhang Jingtao, founder and chairman of the organizing committee of World Friendship Day, stated this at a press conference yesterday afternoon.
Zhang Jingtao also reviewed the ten-year journey of World Friendship Day, which has been held successively in Fiji, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Australia, China, Laos, and Thailand, with a total of nine sessions, forming the "two forums, one tour, one conference" model, namely: International Cultural and Arts Exchange Forum, International Economic and Trade Forum, one cultural trip, and one grand celebration.
Zhang Jingtao also introduced that the current delegation has discussed with the Brunei cultural sector the future plan to hold the "International Civil and Martial Arts Conference" in Brunei. The purpose of this "International Civil and Martial Arts Conference" is to integrate the cultural aspects of literature and martial arts, combining calligraphy with kendo, ink painting with Tai Chi, and performing arts with martial arts culture, presenting the diversity of Chinese arts. He described: "Brunei's cultural atmosphere is gentle and harmonious, making it an ideal place for civil and martial arts showcases."
The co-founder and deputy chairman of the organizing committee of World Friendship Day, Li Li, is a well-known Chinese poet and chief editor of "Chinese Poets," and founder of the Golden Ivy International Poetry Prize.
Li Li stated that the Golden Ivy International Poetry Prize will actively consider organizing regional poetry activities in Brunei, including poetry readings, poetry writing workshops for middle school students, and the Southeast Asia Poetry Forum. He believes that cooperation between Brunei and World Friendship Day in promoting poetry activities would make Brunei a part of the international poetry network.
He introduced that since the establishment of the poetry prize in its third edition, it has been held for six consecutive years with an emphasis on a global perspective, and award winners have come from China, the U.S., Europe and other countries. This year's winning poet, Hei Feng, is from the United States and traveled personally to Brunei.
He emphasized that Brunei, located at the center of ASEAN and characterized by its multicultural society, is highly suitable for hosting international conferences integrating art, literature, martial arts, poetry, and spiritual exchange.
During the visit of the 10th World Friendship Day delegation to Brunei, in addition to holding a press conference, they also exchanged ideas with the Bruneian cultural sector and had preliminary discussions about developing long-term plans in Brunei, including the International Civil and Martial Arts Conference, international poetry cooperation, cultural forums, and academic exchanges.
All parties agreed that Brunei’s stable social environment and sound multicultural structure give it the potential to become an international cultural platform.
American poet Hei Feng pointed out during the exchange that although Brunei is small in size, it has a strong sense of culture and the potential to develop a cultural brand. He said that if Brunei becomes a permanent site for World Friendship Day, it will help enhance its international cultural visibility and enable more countries to recognize Brunei’s gentle and peaceful values.
Cultural scholar Cui Li from Australia believes that Brunei’s environment has a unique charm, with rainforests and tranquil cities coexisting. She emphasized that World Friendship Day values inner peace and cultural friendship, and Brunei is one of the countries that best embodies these values. She looks forward to promoting cultural travel exchanges between Australia and Brunei in the future.
Entrepreneur Chen Yanzhu stated that if World Friendship Day were to establish long-term projects in Brunei in the future, she would be willing to provide corporate resources in support, including health charity activities, youth cultural camps, and volunteer cultural training. She said, "Friendship is the best international language."
Organizing committee advisor Zhang Tao pointed out that Brunei has high acceptance of traditional martial arts. If it could cooperate with Friendship Day to hold the Civil and Martial Arts Conference, it would not only boost local martial arts development but also allow martial arts culture to become a highlight of Brunei’s external exchanges. He said he is willing to coordinate relevant martial arts resources in Brunei and help push this cooperation plan forward.
Brunei’s cultural sector has long lacked internationally recognized cultural events, and the arrival of World Friendship Day fills this gap. If large cultural projects can be established in Brunei in the future, it will help enhance local cultural soft power and attract more international cultural teams to visit.
World Friendship Day is a globally recognized festival initiated by the World Folk Culture Congress (Sydney), set on September 9th of every year, with the aim of advocating interpersonal friendship and harmony among all beings. The day was proposed by founder Zhang Jingtao, with a “four hands joined” symbol, the slogan "Long Live Friends! Long Live Friendship!", and a dedicated “Song of Friends” as the festival theme song, along with related rituals.
The festival promotes friendship that transcends race, skin color, and cultural differences, advocates the elimination of war and conflict, and conveys its ideals through friend gatherings, flora and fauna exchanges, and peace initiative ceremonies. Activities include linking silk ribbons to symbolize the bonds of friendship.
The first World Friendship Day was held in 2016 in Fiji, where Chinese entrepreneur Zhao Fugang read the declaration. Since then, themed events have been held in different regions each year, including the "Ode to Friends" poetry performance in Shenyang, China in 2017; a forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2018; an international poetry and arts cultural exchange forum in Sydney, Australia in 2019; publication of the “Nishan Declaration” in Qufu, China in 2020; initiation of the World Indigenous Culture Development Alliance in Laos in 2023; and the International Medical Care Technology Forum in Bangkok, Thailand in 2024.