The 2024 Tianjin International Children's Art Festival kicked off on Monday and will run until Friday. [Photo by Zhang Jian/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Fred Tchalewa Ndeki, headmaster of Fountain Gate High School in Tanzania, has participated in the Tianjin International Children's Art Festival every three years since 2009. He said, "People here are treating us as dear friends."

He noted that one of the reasons he'd love to bring kids from the high school back to Tanzania is that the festival serves as a "global community" platform that brings kids from all over the world to get to know each other, exchanging ideas, experiences, beliefs, and many other things. "It's a fabulous event for the kids to get to know the world," he commented.

Anita Ntezimana, a member of L'École Mus'Art in Montreal, Canada, said: "This is actually my first time to be here and it's fun for me because I've got to meet many people from different cultural backgrounds, performing arts and other things."