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One hundred teenagers in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, recited an ode to peace as 224 doves were released into the air and the prayer bell at the Jianfu Temple rang out to commemorate the International Day of Peace.
Residents hung 224 peace blessing sachets they made－one for every country and region in the world－on a board to form a world map to pray for peace.
Chen Yuexiu, a 45-year-old farmer and artist, who displayed her paintings to commemorate the day, told China Daily that she prayed for peace with her works and thought her contribution to peace was to work hard to make her family wealthy.
Chen's idea of a peaceful and prosperous life was shared by politicians attending a series of activities in Xi'an for the commemoration on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Han Qide, vice-chairman of China's top advisory body and president of the Chinese People's Association for Peace and Disarmament, said proposals by the central government for a Silk Road economic belt and a Maritime Silk Road are part of the 21st century aim to build a bridge for peaceful development and common prosperity among the people of Asia, and linking them to the people of other continents.
Hussain Muhammad Ershad, former president of Bangladesh, said at the opening ceremony that economic development concurrently among neighboring countries is one of the ways to achieve and maintain peace.
"Another way is consultation among nations and the exchange of views among leaders of countries or representatives of the people of various countries. That is exactly what we are doing now," he said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent a congratulatory message saying: "Peace and security are essential foundations for social progress and sustainable development. That is why, three decades ago, the UN affirmed the right of people to peace."
In 2001, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution and declared Sept 21 as the annual International Day of Peace.
Every year since, the UN has put forward a theme for the International Day of Peace and called on every country to hold commemorative activities. This year's theme is "People Aspire to a Safer Asia".
"At present, Asia is still faced with various traditional and non-traditional security threats," said Han. "Japan, the perpetrator of World War II, which was defeated in the end, is now governed by leaders who are still attempting to justify its history of aggression and challenge the hard-earned victory in the war and the post-war international order.
"We hope that Japanese leaders can face up to and reflect upon their history of aggression and correct their wrongdoings with concrete actions to regain the trust of neighboring Asian countries and the international community," Han added.
Contact the writers at malie@chinadaily.com.cn and jiyuan1@chinadaily.com.cn
