by Xinhua writer Chen Wenxian

JERUSALEM, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv held its second anniversary celebration on Thursday evening, during which a Chinese jazz band gave an eye-catching performance for Israeli audience.

Over the past two years, the center has become a showcase of Chinese culture, hosting a series of colorful events and attracting more than 50,000 audience, Chinese Ambassador to Israel Zhan Yongxin said at the ceremony.

These activities offered the multi-dimensional views of Chinese culture, helped promote cultural cooperation and enhanced friendship between the two peoples, Zhan added.

The China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv was opened in November 2017, with the aim of spreading the Chinese culture and facilitating exchange and cooperation between the two countries.

"Culture resembles running water," Zhan said. "No matter how far away, different nations could strengthen mutual understanding and learn from each other through cultural exchanges."

As the cooperation in the fields such as trade, economy and hi-tech is going closer and deeper between China and Israel, the cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchange are also being enhanced.

The number of Chinese tourists who visited Israel grew by 40.6 percent year on year from January to October in 2019, according to the figures released by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics.

While the trade and investment between Israel and China are going up every year, the people-to-people relations between the two nations are also becoming increasingly important, said Amir Lati, director of the Northeast Asia Department of Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the celebration ceremony.

Meanwhile, trumpeter Li Xiaochuan, a Chinese jazz artist, and his quintet performed Chinese jazz for the Israeli audience.

The performance, characterized by traditional Chinese music elements, won a rapturous ovation from the audience.

Li Xiaochuan's quintet was invited to perform at the fifth Jerusalem Jazz Festival, which ran from Dec. 4 to 6 and brought together local and international artists. It is the first time for a Chinese jazz group to perform in this international jazz event.

Vladimir Davidson, 71, told Xinhua that he had attended the cultural activities held by the cultural center a couple of times and they were all "very tasteful."

The China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv has been established as an important platform for Israeli people to learn and understand Chinese culture through various forms of activities such as performance, exhibition, lecture and training class, said Tao Chen, director of the Chinese center.

Tao told Xinhua that the center would be devoted to more diversified activities and interactions, in order to fully showcase Chinese culture and attract different populations.

The cultural center, also the 35th of its kind worldwide, sits in Tel Aviv's business district and covers an area of about 1,000 square meters, with facilities including a multi-purpose hall, training rooms, a library and an audio-visual zone.

It is designed to host events such as art performances, cultural exhibitions, academic seminars to give the Israelis a better understanding of the Chinese culture.