The Ministry of Culture recently nominated 10 cities for the first East Asian Cultural City Campaign. Qingdao and Jining in Shandong province were included on the list, according to Ccnt.gov.cn.

The East Asian Cultural City Campaign is an inter-governmental cultural promotion activity based on the joint declaration of the fifth China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting. It is also part of the trilateral mid-and-long-term cultural cooperation strategic project.

In the spirit of "East Asian identity, cultural exchange and mutual appreciation", the East Asian Cultural City Campaign respects cultural diversity and acknowledges the common principle of "coexistence, innovation and harmony". Through the campaign, it aims to promote East Asian culture worldwide and enhance people's understanding of its development and innovation.

Other eight shortlisted cities are Suzhou in Jiangsu province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang, Xi'an and Xianyang in Shaanxi, Wuhan in Hubei, Huangshan in Anhui, Quanzhou in Fujian and Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Edited by Michael Thai, Li Xiaoliang and Zhao Jingchen