The coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong province established a Nishan House bookshop in Shimonoseki, Japan, one of its sister cities, on March 19. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong province established a Nishan House bookshop in Shimonoseki, Japan, one of its sister cities, on March 19.

The opening ceremony was held simultaneously in Qingdao and Shimonoseki through an online connection.

The bookshop will provide Chinese books and creative cultural products tailored to the needs and reading habits of Japanese readers.

In recent years, the Nishan House bookshop has become a way to promote the continuous global outreach of the culture of Qilu (a historical region in Shandong province). It has taken root in campuses and libraries in various locations such as Russia, Germany, and Canada, deepening cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and other countries.

In the future, Qingdao will use the Nishan House bookshop to continually bring books that embody the charm of Shandong and the distinctive features of Qingdao to the residents of Shimonoseki. This will include books that showcase the richness of Chinese ethnic culture and its enduring artistic treasures.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of sister-city relations between Qingdao and Shimonoseki. Over the past 45 years, the two cities have maintained frequent cultural exchanges and achieved fruitful results.

The establishment of the Nishan House bookshop at the Shimonoseki City Library will propel the exchange and cooperation between the two cities to a new level.