2021.04.08
On April 7, the ceremony of Japan Airlines (JAL)’ donation to the World Tourism Museum (WTM) was held at Beijing Fortune Building, with attendees including Duan Qiang, Chairman of WTA, Liu Shijun, Secretary-General of WTA, Wang Kunxin, Deputy Secretary-General of WTA, Yonezawa Akira, JAL Chief Representative in China, and Nishida Shoji, Manager of JAL Beijing Office. First, Mr. Duan Qiang, on behalf of the WTA, thanked JAL for its generous donation and made a speech. He said that the flight between China and Japan opened by JAL more than 40 years ago had built an air bridge between the two countries for cultural exchanges and tourism. Today, JAL’s donation of the important evidence of this development history to the WTA is of positive and far-reaching significance. Second, he acknowledged JAL’s leading and exemplary role as a founding member of WTA, hoping that it could play a greater role in WTA in the future and called on more WTA members to donate items actively. Later, Mr. Yonezawa Akira shared the special story of the donation. In the early days of the normalization of relations between China and Japan, JAL had been involved in something of special significance, such as the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka to China in 1972 and the transport of pandas donated by China to Japan. He hoped the donations would mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of relations between China and Japan in 2022, and that they would be exhibited at WTM. He believes that although the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the aviation industry hard, the tourism between China and Japan is bound to pick up again as flights between the two countries are resumed on a gradual basis. At the ceremony, Mr. Nishida Shoji handed over the donations to Mr. Wang Kunxin, the director of WTM, including 11 historical materials, such as pictures and magazines of JAL’s trips to and from China since 1972, and a total of 15 items including 1 JAL airplane model and 3 other real objects. Mr. Wang Kunxin presented a donation certificate to Mr. Nishida Shoji. WTA headquarters and the main building of WTM at Xianghu Lake, Hangzhou have been completed and are expected to open in the second half of this year. So far, WTM has collected 342 (sets) collections under the generous assistance of WTA members and enthusiastic citizens from all walks of life. WTM’s collection of items is still going on, and the Museum is looking forward to the support of more WTA members.
Duan Qiang, Chairman of WTA, Made a Speech at the Donation Ceremony
Yonezawa Akira, JAL’s Chief Representative in China, Made a Speech and Introduced the Donations
Wang Kunxin, Deputy Secretary-General of WTA and Director of WTM (Preparatory Office), Presented the Donation Certificate to Nishida Shoji, Manager of JAL Beijing Office.
WTA and JAL Representatives Posed for a Group Photo