In the golden autumn month of October, the fragrance of orange osmanthus flowers is everywhere. On October 16, the Bridge Art Center of Beijing, located on the southern side of Jianguo Road, Beijing, was decocted with lanterns and streamers. It was full of joy. The inauguration ceremony of the GBD Center for Public Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange, which was jointly created by the Association of Former Diplomats of China (AFDC) and the Bridge Art Center of Beijing, was held here. There were more than 300 participants attending the ceremony, including officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and other government agencies, foreign diplomatic envoys, experts, scholars, businessmen, journalists and people from other communities.

Li Lanqing, former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee personally wrote an inscription, "Cultural Exchange Is Communication between Souls", to convey his congratulations. Tang Jiaxuan, former State Councilor, attended the ceremony and unveiled the board for the center. Ji Peiding, President of the Association of Former Diplomats of China and Ma Zhenxuan, Chairman of the Bridge Art Center of Beijing respectively spoke, introducing the purposes of setting up the center. They stressed that with the rise of China's international status and the increase of China's diplomatic exchange activities, public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy have become the topics of public concern. With the care and support of the people from all walks of life, AFDC and the Bridge Art Center of Beijing decided to leverage their respective strengths to jointly build a platform for public diplomacy.

AFDC consists of over 2600 former Chinese diplomats with rich diplomatic experiences. It was officially approved as a non-governmental organization enjoying the status of special consultancy by the UN Economic and Social Council. The Bridge Art Center of Beijing has been committed to the cause of international cultural exchange. It is also an organization with a certain scale and a high degree of social influence. The establishment of GBD Center for Public Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange will be conducive to pooling resources and creating brand, therefore providing more active service in the field of diplomatic exchange for different communities.

Song Tao, Vice Foreign Minister, Ding Wei, Assistant Minister of Culture, Han Fangming, Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPPCC, Nolana Ta Ama, head of diplomatic missions in China, and the official from Beijing municipal government spoke at the ceremony. They expressed congratulations on the establishment of the center and expounded the necessity and importance of conducting public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy from different perspectives. They all expressed support for the activities of the center in a bid to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the people of China and other countries in the world. Amazing performances were also presented during the ceremony.

After the ceremony, Ji Peiding and Ma Zhenxuan jointly gave the interview to the news media.