Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) A culture workshop sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for young people from West Asian countries opened Wednesday, providing them with an opportunity to gain a hands-on understanding of Taiwan.

Lin Chin-chung, director-general of the MOFA’s West Asian Affairs Department, said the West Asian region remains largely unknown to Taiwan and vice versa, and that the workshop is being held to boost mutual understanding.

Twenty-seven young men and women from nine countries in that part of the world, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, are taking part in the week-long activity.

Aside from visiting government agencies such as the Presidential Office, the Legislative Yuan and the Government Information Office, the youths will also tour tourist spots and monuments around the country, such as Taipei 101 in downtown Taipei, the Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taipei County, the National Center for Traditional Art in Yilan County and Tienwei township in Changhua County — a famous horticulture center.

Arwa Abdulhamid Hasan from Saudi Arabia said she has been learning Chinese for five years and has a strong interest in Chinese culture.

“I am really interested in learning about calligraphy and Chinese painting during my stay in Taiwan,” she added.

Meanwhile, Nadezda Frolova, a 21-year-old Russian student of economics, said she would like to gain a better understanding of Taiwan’s economic development. (By Flor Wang)

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