Late May, at the memorial for late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in his home town, Huaian City of Jiangsu Province, a group of Japanese laid wreath at Zhou’s statue and made three deep bows. That came as a touching moment in Matsuyama Ballet Group’s 15th visit to China. The Group has long served as an art envoy for people-to-people friendly exchanges between China and Japan.

2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. At this historical conjunction, the Matsuyama Ballet Group staged its renewed rendition of White-Haired Girl in Beijing, Huaian and Shanghai during its latest visit to China. It created that ballet 62 years ago for the sake of China-Japan friendship.

Matsuyama Ballet Group, as one of the most renowned Japanese ballet troupes, has upheld the China-Japan friendship for over 60 years. As early as in 1955, its founding couple, Mr. Shimizu Masao and Ms Matsuyama Mikiko, out of their love for Chinese culture, compassion for Chinese people, and reflection upon Japanese invaders’ outrageous crimes in China, created the ballet White-Haired Girl, and for the first time presented this Chinese story in ballet style over the world stage. For this ballet, they sold their property, raised loans and stood up against varieties of domestic pressure in Japan. Their courageous act has earned them high regards among a succession of Chinese leaders with whom they have been in constant cordial meetings ever since.

Frequent exchanges are essential to amity between peoples which in turn is the key to sound relations between states. Matsuyama Ballet Group’s visit to China in May, 2017, along with its performances and exchanges during the visit, all came to a sounding success. It was a visit for arts, friendship and peace. Matsuyama Ballet Group has acted positively for generations of friendship among peoples of China and Japan. It is thanks to such friendly groups and such diplomatic strength within the common people that the people-to-people friendship between China and the world grows ever stronger and mutual understanding ever deeper. The hearts and minds of the artists are inter-connected, because they share the common pursuit for the true, the good and the beautiful, and they all cherish the aspiration for peace and happiness.