A delegation of Japanese people attends the cherry blossom tree planting activity in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province on March 27. [Photo by Wu Yeyun/chinadaily.com.cn]

A delegation of Japanese people came to Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province on March 27 to attend a cherry blossom tree planting activity, which was held in celebration of the 32nd anniversary of the Sino-Japanese Cherry Blossom Friendship Forest.

The forest, co-built by the city and a Japanese civic group in 1987, has witnessed more than 1,000 Japanese delegations, with a total of 16,000 people coming, to plant cherry blossom trees in Wuxi over the past 32 years. Boasting more than 30,000 cherry blossom trees, it is a testimony of the friendship between Wuxi and Japanese people.

"This is the 32nd time that I've led a Japanese delegation to attend the activity here. I'm happy to see that the trees we've planted over the 32 years grow so well and so beautifully," said Shibata Yutaka, president of the Japan-China Cherry Friendship Association.

Having persisted in doing so for such a long time, Yutaka explained that he wanted to extend his wish for world peace through the pure cherry blossoms.

Yutaka was honored by the Jiangsu Provincial People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries as a "Jiangsu People's Envoy of Friendship" in 2018 for his contributions to enhancing the Sino-Japanese friendship.

Shibata Yutaka, president of the Japan-China Cherry Friendship Association, shovels the earth to plant the cherry blossom tree with Miyoshi Kanon, the 27th Cherry Blossom Princess of Japan on March 27 at the Sino-Japanese Cherry Blossom Friendship Forest. [Photo by Wu Yeyun/chinadaily.com.cn]

In addition to tree planting, the Japanese delegations have also organized people in the medical and educational fields to visit Wuxi and conducted exchanges with the city's hospitals and schools.

The tree planting activity is now part of the annual Wuxi International Cherry Blossom Festival, a global platform for boosting cooperation between Wuxi and foreign countries in many fields.