The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tour of Chinese Folk Culture was launched at the ASEAN Secretariat on Monday.

During his address at the launch event, Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Huang Xilian said, "We hope these visits will promote understanding and appreciation of our unique and brilliant cultural assets, and more importantly, explore new platforms and channels for cultural exchange."

Huang said that both China and ASEAN countries belong to the big family of Asian and Eastern civilizations, and share a centuries-long history of close interactions between their peoples, which eventually led to the birth of splendid, diverse yet similar folk traditions.

Through exposure to Chinese folk culture, the people of Southeast Asia will get a glimpse of Chinese civilization, one that appreciates the beauty of other civilizations and the diversity of civilizations in the world, and always seeks nourishment from other civilizations.

Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi said that culture continues to be an important cooperation pillar.

The ASEAN Tour of Chinese Folk Culture builds on the past achievements, including the China-ASEAN Year of Cultural Exchanges in 2014 and the China-ASEAN Cultural Forum organized yearly in Nanning, Guangxi Province, on the sidelines of ASEAN-China Expo, he said.

"It is timely that folk culture is being promoted as a cultural centerpiece because it enriches the diversity of our cultural expressions in the region. Going further, this initiative will serve as an important enabler of tolerance, mutual understanding and cultural appreciation," he said.

In his address, the secretary-general conveyed ASEAN's gratitude for China's generosity to support the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship Program scheduled to start later this year.

The program will greatly help ASEAN countries in developing their human resources, the secretary-general said. 

The logo of the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship program was also unveiled at the event.

The event was attended by distinguished senior ASEAN officials, some 30 well-known Chinese folk culture researchers and professors and Chinese folk artists.