Japanese and Chinese people have gathered under blooming cherry trees at a park in the Chinese city of Wuxi to celebrate friendly ties between the two countries.



The park in the city in Jiangsu Province, eastern China, now has about 30,000 cherry trees, making it one of the biggest cherry blossom sites in China. The trees have been planted by volunteers for the past few decades, inspired by the spirit of a man who served in the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army, Hasegawa Kiyomi. He began the tree-planting 37 years ago, in the hope of fostering friendly relations between the two countries. Japanese volunteers are now taking charge of the activity.



Dozens of people from both countries attended a friendship event on Wednesday. Japanese Ambassador to China Kanasugi Kenji traveled from Beijing to take part.



Shibata Yutaka, the head of a volunteer group and Hasegawa's son-in-law, spoke before the participants. He said he is proud of Wuxi's cherry trees and that he will continue to watch over them, hoping to pass on his father's wish to the next generation.



The participants covered the roots of newly planted trees with soil and hung on branches plates bearing the words of friendship.



Japanese and Chinese performers took to the stage in turn to play music, sing songs and perform dances.



The cherry blossoms in the park were almost in full bloom thanks to the recent warm weather. A visitor from Shanghai in her 50s who was admiring them said she hopes that relations between the countries will get better and last long.