5月4日是青年节
May the Fourth is the Youth Day.

星战粉丝说，愿力量与你同在
As Star Wars’ fans say, “May the force be with you.”

朋友遍天下的上海友协怎样过节呢？
How did SPAFFC celebrate the day?

微雨渐晴，玉兰芬芳。5月4日下午，在一曲由萨克斯演奏的悠扬的《友谊地久天长》的乐声中，新近落成的上海市人民对外友好协会成立60周年纪念雕塑在市外办花园揭幕，同时，一场欢快的中外青年派对也在这里举行，来自吉布提、俄罗斯、哈萨克斯坦、肯尼亚、印度尼西亚、伊朗、乌克兰、蒙古、吉尔吉斯斯坦、意大利、坦桑尼亚、法国等12个国家的青年代表与中国伙伴一起为友谊与青春歌舞。

A sculpture marking the 60th anniversary of the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SPAFFC) was unveiled in the garden of the SPAFFC's office compound on Nanjing Road West on May 4th. Chinese and foreign friends from 13 countries got together to celebrate China’s Youth Day.

上海市老领导、原市友协会长周慕尧，市外办主任、市友协会长张小松，在沪留学生代表阿蕸、市友协青年代表王炜共同为这朵象征友谊的“白玉兰”揭开红盖头：

The sculpture was unveiled by Zhou Muyao, a veteran leader of Shanghai and former president of SPAFFC, Zhang Xiaosong, Director General of the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and President of SPAFFC, Anastasia Boiko, the representative of foreign students in Shanghai, and Wang Wei, the youth representative of SPAFFC.

成立于1956年的上海市人民对外友好协会是本市最早成立的、全市性的、专门从事并组织开展对外民间友好交流活动的人民团体。

Founded in 1956, SPAFFC is the earliest municipal people’s organization specializing in people-to-people friendly exchanges with other countries in Shanghai. 

这座雕塑以紫色硅青铜为材质，形如环绕的双手变换出上海市花白玉兰与和平鸽，寓意友协宗旨“友谊、合作、和平、发展”。

The purple silicon bronze sculpture takes the shape of two holding hands conjuring up images of magnolia, the city flower of Shanghai, and a peace dove. It symbolizes the aim of the SPAFFC: "Friendship, Cooperation, Peace and Development".

这一作品由上海油画雕塑院设计并制作，设计师为油雕院雕塑创作室主任韩子健。雕塑底座正面刻有一个刚劲有力的鎏金大字——“友”，由著名书法家、吴昌硕第四代传人张国恩先生用行草书写。

The sculpture was designed and made by the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute, China’s first professional design and research organization having oil painting and sculpture as its principal arts.

The golden Chinese character “友” (friend) engraved on the front side of the sculpture base was written in the cursive style by the well-known calligrapher Mr. Zhang Guoen, a fourth-generation descendant of the great Chinese artist Wu Changshuo.

围绕着这个中文“友”字，底座的四周还分别刻写了用34种世界各国不同语言书写的“友”，覆盖了迄今为止与市友协开展交往的全球104个国家350个友好组织所使用的主要语言。

Besides, the same character is engraved on the other sides of the base in 34 different languages, basically covering all languages used by the 350 friendship organizations in 104 countries across the world, with whom the SPAFFC has forged ties of exchange and cooperation.

派对现场，来自俄罗斯的姑娘主动请缨，献唱脍炙人口的民歌《莫斯科郊外的晚上》与《喀秋莎》：

At the party, a Russian girl offered to perform on the stage, singing two famous Russian songs - "The Nights in the Suburbs of Moscow" and "Katyusha".

来自印度尼西亚的潘吉是上海外国语大学国际关系专业的研究生，他来上海刚8个月，惊叹于上海的城市建设、交通和科技发展。他打算将来留在上海从事公共政策方面的工作，学以致用。

Panggih is from Indonesia. He came to Shanghai eight months ago. Now he is studying for a Master’s Degree in International Relations at the Shanghai International Studies University. He has been amazed by the construction in the city and its development of transportation and technology. He plans to stay in Shanghai after graduation and find a job in public policy so he can use what he is learning now.

坦桑尼亚的戴安娜Diana来中国已经四年了，能说一口流利的汉语。她说，在坦桑尼亚，在世界各地都能看到中国人的身影，能说汉语已成为一个很受欢迎的职业优势。说到未来，戴安娜温柔而坚定地表示：“我的将来在中国、在上海”。

A Tanzanian girl, Diana, who speaks fluent Chinese, has been in Shanghai for four years. She said that Chinese people are seen all around the world, including her hometown, and mastering Chinese has become a very popular professional advantage. When it comes to the future, she said softly but firmly, "My future is in Shanghai, China."

上海市外办主任、市友协会长张小松寄语到场的中外青年代表，“这不仅是一个值得纪念的日子，更是一个值得憧憬的时刻。民间友好事业的接力棒已传递到你们手中，更加灿烂辉煌的明天将由你们亲手铸就。我们将继续为有志投身民间外交事业的青年朋友们提供一个友谊合作、青春绽放的交流平台。”

The Director General of the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and President of SPAFFC Zhang Xiaosong expressed his expectations of the young people present, "It is not only a moment for celebration of the past, but also a time when we envision the future. You will carry forward the message of peace, friendship, development and cooperation, in order to build a more splendid future. We are going to continue providing a platform for young people who have a passion for people-to-people diplomacy, so they can contribute their energy to the cause and embrace blossom in their own lives."

本次活动是由上海市友协、上海油雕院、浦东国际交往中心、市外办团委共同主办，上海音乐学院协办。

The event was organized by the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute, the Pudong International Exchange Center, the Communist Youth League committee of Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office and co-organized by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Photos by Xin Ping
Story by Wang Jiaye