The Sixth Mazu Cultural Forum themed "building a community of shared marine future" as well as the 23rd China (Putian) Meizhou Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival kicked off in Putian's Meizhou Island, Fujian province on Nov 1.
Zheng Jianbang, vice-chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Liu Jianyang, Party secretary of Putian, attended the opening ceremony. Lin Xuyang, mayor of Putian, presided over the opening ceremony.
Liu Jianyang said that Putian will strengthen cooperation in fields like marine culture, marine economy, maritime traffic and coastal tourism with countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road so as to enhance cultural exchanges and promote the development of the Maritime Silk Road.
After the opening ceremony, a ceremony to worship the sea goddess Mazu was staged. Dusan Bella, Slovak ambassador to China, and his wife Eugenia Bellova attended the ceremony.
In December 2020, Meizhou Island was designated a national 5A-level scenic spot. Its awards ceremony was held at the opening ceremony.