Xi'an has a long, rich history and very energetic people, a group of young people from Hong Kong said after joining a cultural exchange trip to Shaanxi, of which Xi'an is the capital, from Saturday to Thursday.

In the city where 13 dynasties built their capitals, the young visitors were exposed to civilizations dating back 2,000 years; they also received a modern perspective of the area from the city's younger generation.

The trip is part of a program organized by the Hong Kong-based New Home Association, which plans to take more than 2,000 young Hong Kong people to various cities on the Chinese mainland, with the aim to enhance Hong Kong youth's understanding of the culture and history of their motherland.

The most stunning part of the trip was visiting the world-renowned Terracotta Warriors from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

A student from Kowloon West of Hong Kong said he found every warrior had a unique appearance; they were totally different from what he thought.

The group also attended a ceremony to pay their respects to the Yellow Emperor, regarded as one of the common ancestors of all Chinese, at the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor in Shaanxi province.

Ho Tsz-long, 16, planted a tree with local young people to emphasize the friendship between the two places. He said he could now appreciate the very long history behind Chinese culture.

To welcome the young visitors, youths in Xi'an organized a flash mob dance which fused traditional performing arts, modern street dance and music to showcase the dynamics of the city.

Zhang Dong, the show's composer, said he could appreciate the spirit of the young people from both places coming together when the Hong Kong visitors joined the flash mob and danced with them.

miriam@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 08/11/2018 page4)