Hello, and welcome to this edition of  Africa Express here on China Radio International. I'm your host, Wei Tong. 

 
A traditional South African tribal drum raised the curtain of the first African Tourism and Culture Festival at China's largest shopping mall in Beijing.[Photo: CRIENGLISH.COM]

Do you think it is a romantic idea to sit down and sip a glass of South African red wine to relax? Or taste authentic Ethiopian coffee? Or have close contact with Kenyan wood-carvings? If so, I'll take you to an enjoyable place where you will be surrounded by extraordinary romance.

A traditional South African tribal drum raised the curtain of the first African Tourism and Culture Festival at China's largest shopping mall in Beijing.

With a refreshing name, 'Touch Africa', the festival exhibits unique cultures from nine different African countries. Apart from red wine, coffee and woodcarvings, South African dazzling diamonds, Ghanaian tasty chocolates and Madagascan cattle horn artwork will give you a unique experience of reaching Africa's doorstep.

Feng Zuoku, vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, says this event is the first of its kind in the country.

"This activity aims to better inform the Chinese people about African cultures, in their tourism as well as their commodities. We hope that the Chinese can get to love Africa through this festival and that exchanges and friendship between China and Africa can be further enhanced."

Ethiopia is renowned for its fine quality coffee. Visitors at the festival have the chance to taste pure Kaffa coffee, which originated from the country.

"The coffee is strong and it also has a special fragrance. It makes me want to take a trip to Africa."

The Kenyan Ambassador to China Mme Ruth Solitei hopes that through the festival, people from both sides can get to know each other better.

"The theme is the promotion of culture and tourism, which means person-to-person contact. And through visiting one another, you get to see different attractions and different cultures. That will definitely enhance our friendship."

Ethiopian Ambassador Haile-Giros Gessesse adds that it is culture that connects people from China and Africa more closely.

"Culture is the identity of society and human beings. So the more you understand culture, the more you can deal with people. Chinese are known for their cultural preservation and heritage. Ethiopia is also known for its cultural heritage. And it will also help business. When you go to do business in other countries, if you know the culture, it will be very easy."

I stopped at the Ghanaian booth, where I was invited to taste a delicious chocolate ball. It was made from fine Ghanaian cocoa powder, as it is the world's largest cocoa producing and exporting country. Elizabeth Dodoo from the Ghanaian Embassy expects more Chinese companies will invest in her country's cocoa industry.

"A lot of people will come to this festival. We will show them the products we have. If a company is interested, they will come to our embassy. We'll arrange to display all these things for them. You know, Ghanaian cocoa is one of the best on the market. It is healthy." "What is the percentage of the total exports of Ghana are cocoa?" "Over eighty percent." "How about of the exports to China?" "We have a company here as an agent."

While I was perusing the fine Ghanaian chocolates, I overheard an old lady chatting with a Ghanaian agent in very fluent English.

The lady is an associate professor at a prestigious university in Beijing. She used to train some African women, and has been enchanted by the mysterious continent ever since.

"I think the culture festival is very significant for enhancing friendship between Chinese and African people. I hope to see more crafts on display and also more videos about African nature, scenery and people's folk customs. I dream to embrace nature in Africa. To me Africa is the last paradise on earth."

And next time, we'll taste some red wine from South Africa. Although its market share in China is still small compared with that from France and Italy, the wine producer is expecting to expand its market here through the festival.

Now that concludes this edition of 'Africa Express'. If you would like to listen to this or other stories again, you can log onto our website at: www.crienglish.com. I am Wei Tong. Hope you can tune into our program next time! Bye for now.