As an ancient Chinese poem reads, "If you have a friend afar who knows your heart, distance cannot keep you two apart." Although the COVID-19 epidemic prevented us from meeting offline, the exchanges continued. At 8pm on August 13, Beijing time, 12 overseas youths from six sister cities including Pančevo in Serbia, Barcelos in Portugal, Campinas in Brazil, Maringá in Brazil, Asan in South Korea, Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine, and two young representatives from Dongguan met online for the 2021 Dongguan Sister City Link Youth Virtual Salon, which was hosted by the Dongguan Foreign Affairs Bureau and co-organized by the Dongguan Education Bureau. They introduced their beautiful hometowns to each other and exchanged opinions on the responsibilities and commitment of the younger generation under the global anti-epidemic cooperation.

Mr. Liu Dun, Chief of International Relations Section, Dongguan Foreign Affairs Bureau, gave a welcome speech and expressed that borders may designate countries, but the human spirit does not require a passport to work together. While we live in an age rife with challenges and opportunities, he expected to hear more youth's voices and see their spirits and actions in these extraordinary times.

Huang Shangjia from Dongguan Foreign Languages School prepared a PPT with abundant beautiful pictures by showing the Dongguan CBD, the subway, basketball culture, ancient villages, and local cuisine to show a three-dimensional Dongguan to friends in sister cities. The overseas representatives also showed us the incredible views of their city, detailed places of interest, local cuisine, traditional culture, major industries, and economic development. The hot spring and ginkgo street introduced by the representative of Asan made everyone experience the charm of nature; the representative of Kryvyi Rih showed the similarities in cultures, between China and Kryvyi Rih, like the Chinese warriors and Cossacks, conveying the love for Chinese culture and the hope of establishing a closer relationship with Dongguan. The communication promoted understanding and friendship between the young people.