Sao Paulo, Brazil - Recent Students and teachers at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil have expressed their wish for strengthened cultural exchanges and enduring friendship between the two countries and their peoples as Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the country. Xi arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday where he also attended the 19th G20 Summit, and started a state visit to Brazil on Wednesday as the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. In anticipation to Xi's visit, 21 students and teachers from the university, who participated in the "Looking China "international youth film project, wrote a letter to him, expressing their delight over his visit. Recently, Xi replied to letters from more than 100 friendly individuals from all walks of life in Brazil, including teachers and students from the university, encouraging them to continuously contribute to China-Brazil friendship. The students and teachers, who were thrilled to receive the reply from Xi, shared their personal experiences in exploring China's natural landscapes, cultural richness and recording the stories about China. He has created documentaries on Chinese culture through his unique perspectives during three China tours in the past eight years. During his first trip to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China in 2016, Nishi met a local little girl named Mudan, who became the protagonist of his story. Eight years later, when Nishi returned Xinjiang to document the girl's growth, he was surprised about how the region had urbanized and modernized in just a few years. But the kindness of the locals and the deep friendships between them and the Brazilian filmmakers remained unchanged. Nishi mentioned a pair of cotton slippers with local ethnic minority characteristics that he wore during the shooting in Mudan's home, which the girl's maternal grandmother later gave as a special gift to the Brazilian friend. He has kept this gift as a symbol of the deep friendship. Since 2016, some 27 Brazilian participants in the "Looking China" program has created a total of 36 short films during their trips across 11 Chinese provincial-level regions. With a lot of incredibly impressive stories recorded and strong emotional ties established, the Brazilian filmmakers decided to share their unforgettable experience in China with President Xi. In November, Xi replied to the letters from friendly personages from all walks of life in Brazil, encouraging them to continuously contribute to the China-Brazil friendship. Xi replied that he is glad to see that the China-Brazil friendship has been passed on from generation to generation. Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Brazil have marched forward hand in hand and shared weal and woe, becoming good friends spanning mountains and oceans. He said Brazilian friends are welcome to visit China more often to experience the myriad sights of Chinese modernization, and expressed the hope that people from all walks of life in the two countries will play a positive role in promoting the continuous development of China-Brazil relations and making the China-Brazil friendship flow unceasingly like the Yangtze River and the Amazon River. Twenty students at the University of Sao Paulo have been involved in the "Looking China" project for eight years, gaining a profound cultural experience, witnessing China's development, as well as making lifelong friends. They have also been active in sharing and spreading the touching stories they documented in China. These participants also encouraged young students to join in the cultural exchange program and help deepen the friendship between young people of the two countries. Shotlist: Sao Paulo, Brazil - Recent: 1. Grass, trees, vehicles, pedestrians; 2. Various of Pedro Nishi, student at School of Communications and Arts of University of Sao Paulo, walking; 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Pedro Nishi, student, School of Communications and Arts, University of Sao Paulo (starting with shot 2/partially overlaid with shot 4/ending with shots 5-9): "I have traveled to China three times to film documentaries and share stories about China. My first time was eight years ago, and my professor, Cecilia, spoke to us that maybe there is this opportunity to go to China and make a film. And luckily, I was chosen to go. It was a very special experience to go to Xinjiang. It's a place with a lot of diversity. People from different ethnic groups, they are living in the same place. During that experience, I found that although we come from different places and live far apart, we can connect and get close in some way. So my film is about connection, affection, and how we can connect."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 4. Various of Nishi looking for books, reading in library; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China - 2016 5. Brazilian, Chinese filmmakers shaking hands; 6. Brazilian, Chinese filmmakers touring; 7. Various of Chinese ethnic minority people dancing; 8. Brazilian filmmakers dancing with Chinese ethnic minority people; 9. Various of Nishi shooting video of local children; 10. Various of landscape; FILE: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China - 2024 11. Various of Nishi shooting video of local girl Mudan, her family; FILE: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China - 2016 12. Photos of Mudan's maternal grandmother giving slippers to Nishi; 13. Nishi receiving slippers from Mudan's maternal grandmother; Sao Paulo, Brazil - Recent 14. SOUNDBITE (English) Pedro Nishi, student, School of Communications and Arts, University of Sao Paulo (starting with shot 13/ending with shots 15-17): "And I put this flip flop in my home, nowadays in a very special place. And every time that I looked to this gift, I feel my heart a little bit warm. I made a lot of friends, I made three films in China. And we can share memories and share feelings and be close. So I believe that this relation is very powerful."; 15. Various of slippers given by Mudan's maternal grandmother on shelves; FILE: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China - 2024 16. Photos of Nishi with Mudan, her family; 17. Various of Nishi shooting video of local students; 18. Various of shooting team walking in school; Sao Paulo, Brazil - Recent 19. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecilia Mello, professor, School of Communications and Arts, University of Sao Paulo (starting with shot 18/ending with shots 20-21): "I think this is an experience that is life-changing for everybody. Because they go to a different country they've never been to, they make friends, they make connections and they come out with a film. We decided to write this letter to President Xi to highlight the impact it has had on the lives of the students here."; FILE: China - Date Unknown 20. Various of Brazilian, Chinese filmmakers dinning together; 21. Various of Brazilian, Chinese filmmakers interacting with each other, shooting video together; 22. Brazilian filmmaker shooting video; 23. Children singing; 24. Chinese filmmakers giving gift to Mello; 25. Various of Brazilian, Chinese filmmakers shooting video, eating on bus; 26. Brazilian, Chinese filmmakers posing for photo; 27. Various of Brazilian filmmaker shooting video of Chinese suona horn performers; Sao Paulo, Brazil - Recent 28. SOUNDBITE (English) Pedro Nishi, student, School of Communications and Arts, University of Sao Paulo (ending with shots 29-30): "We were very surprised and very honored that President Xi knew a little bit of our experience. It is a beautiful experience."; FILE: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China - 2024 29. Nishi in local's home; 30. Photos of Nishi with Mudan, her family; FILE: China - Date Unknown 31. Various of Mello during tour in China; Sao Paulo, Brazil - Recent 32. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecilia Mello, professor, School of Communications and Arts, University of Sao Paulo (starting with shot 31/ending with shots 33-35): "I was specially touched by what President Xi said about the friendship between Brazil and China, that we became friends through mountains and seas. We are in opposite sides of the globe, but we became friends despite the distance, and I think that's the sign of an everlasting friendship."; FILE: China - Date Unknown 33. Various of Brazilian filmmakers shooting video; 34. Nishi, Chinese filmmaker taking selfie; 35. Various of Brazilian, Chinese filmmakers communicating; Sao Paulo, Brazil - Recent 36. Various of Brazilian filmmakers communicating; 37. SOUNDBITE (English) Pedro Nishi, student, School of Communications and Arts, University of Sao Paulo (starting with shot 36/partially overlaid with shot 38): "When I came back to Brazil from China, when I talked to my family and my friends, I used to say that China is a very special place. When I show my films to other people here in Brazil, everybody feels a little bit touched with this connection between human beings. A lot of Brazilians that I know that went to China with the 'Looking China' program, all of them made good Chinese friends."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 38. Various of screening event of films made in "Looking China" youth film project, attendees in theater; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: China - Date Unknown 39. Poster of "Looking China" youth film project; 40. Various of filmmakers during "Looking China" youth film project; Sao Paulo, Brazil - Recent 41. SOUNDBITE (English) Sasha, student, School of Communications and Arts, University of Sao Paulo (full name not given)(starting with shot 40): "China always fascinated me. I learned a lot of things in China. I could show people real China."; FILE: China - Date Unknown 42. Brazilian filmmaker working; Sao Paulo, Brazil - Recent 43. SOUNDBITE (English) Haisa, student, School of Communications and Arts, University of Sao Paulo (full name not given)(starting with shot 42/ending with shots 44-45): "China is a beautiful country with a lot of beautiful people. I hope that more people just like me can go to China."; FILE: China - Date Unknown 44. Brazilian, Chinese filmmakers working together; 45. Brazilian, Chinese filmmakers, Chinese ethnic minority people waving hands to camera; 46. Various of Brazilian filmmakers shooting video of Chinese people; 47. Various of children. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]