Chinese Children Invited to Watch "Doraemon" Movie

Beijing, July 30 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Saturday invited 150 people, including Chinese children, to watch a dinosaur-featuring movie in the "Doraemon" popular Japanese robotic earless cat anime series. The event was held in hopes that children in China feel a close connection with Japan through anime ahead of the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries in September. Lida Xing, an associate professor at the China University of Geosciences, took part in the event and talked about the dinosaurs featured in the film. A big fan of the Doraemon series ever since he was a child, Xing named fossilized footprints of a new dinosaur discovered in China's Sichuan Province "Eubrontes nobitai" after the main protagonist of the series, Nobita Nobi, last summer. At Saturday's event, participants were also able to touch a replica of a dinosaur fossil set up at the venue, as well as ask Xing questions. A 39-year-old participant, who brought along his 10-year-old and 6-year-old daughters, said that he grew up watching the Doraemon series. Saying that children are the future of exchanges between Japan and China, he voiced hopes that the seeds of friendship will be planted within his children. Makoto Manabe, deputy director-general at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, also delivered a speech virtually at the event. Noting that country borders did not exist for dinosaurs, Manabe said that the important thing is that people are connected through their love for dinosaurs. END