"I hope China and Zambia will continue to share stories through song and dance, and I'd love to see more Chinese people travel to Zambia to enjoy its music and explore the country," he adds.

The bilateral culture and tourism year seeks to boost relations through people-to-people connections and spur cultural and artistic cooperation between China and Zambia, according to authorities.

Sun Yeli, China's minister of culture and tourism, Rodney Sikumba, Zambia's minister of tourism, and Ivan Zyuulu, Zambia's ambassador to China, address the opening ceremony.

Approximately 100 people from both sides of the tourism industry were present.

"Zambia appreciates what the People's Republic of China has done in the last 60 years to help it develop," says Sikumba.

China has worked together with Zambia on the construction of the Tazara Railway (an 1,860-kilometer railway that connects Tanzania and Zambia), and a series of infrastructure projects, such as the Mukuku Bridge (over the Luapula River) and the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in the capital.