Festival brings ASEAN cultures together

Colorful traditional costumes, handcrafted cultural items, and the aroma of Southeast Asian spices filled a hall at Beijing's Dabeinong Phoenix International Innovation Park as young people from across the region gathered under one roof. Music and animated conversations flowed between exhibition booths, turning the venue into a lively celebration of diversity.

The event was SEA YOU@ASEAN 2025, a youth cultural festival held on Dec 14.

At one of the booths, Vianney Lim, an Indonesian student studying in Beijing, carefully unfolded pieces of batik — a traditional Indonesian fabric made using a wax-resist dyeing technique. The intricate patterns quickly drew a small crowd. "Batik is something Indonesians are very proud of," she said. "Every region has its own designs, and every pattern tells a story about history, nature or daily life."

Lim was one of around 500 students and young professionals from China and ASEAN countries who took part in the festival, which was jointly organized by the Malaysian Students Association in China and the Association of Malaysian Students in Beijing.

Held as Malaysia serves as ASEAN's rotating chair in 2025, the festival aimed to strengthen people-to-people ties and showcase the region's cultural diversity through exhibitions, performances, and interactive experiences.

For many participants, the event offered a rare opportunity to introduce their cultures to others.

At the Myanmar booth, for example, Paing Soe Hein, a 21-year-old junior at Peking University, demonstrated chinlone, a traditional Burmese sport often compared to China's cuju — an ancient ball game considered an early form of soccer.

"You can see people playing it everywhere in Myanmar," he said. "The goal is to keep the ball from touching the ground, using your feet, head or chest."

Hein said he was especially touched by the moment when participants from different ASEAN countries exchanged small gifts at the end of the event. "It showed how closely connected our cultures are," he said.