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A CPAFFC arts and handicrafts exhibition delegation paid a friendly visit to Malaysia and Nepal from November 27 to December 7， 2004 at the invitation of the Malaysia-China Friendship Association (MCFA) and World Cultural Net of Nepal， and mounted an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur and Kathmandu respectively.

2004 saw the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. The small-scale Chinese arts and handicrafts exhibition in Kuala Lumpur was one of the activities to mark the occasion.

On November 29， the opening ceremony of the exhibition was held by the MCFA at the Malaysia-China Commercial City in Kuala Lumpur. The cultural attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia， local Chinese Malaysians and overseas Chinese， and members of the MCFA attended the opening ceremony. M. K. Rajakumar and Tan Kai Hee， president and secretary general of the MCFA， Xu Zeyou， counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia， and Chen Xiaoming， director general of the Department of Cultural Exchange of the CPAFFC， spoke at the opening ceremony and cut the ribbon for the exhibition. The holding of the exhibition coincided with the performance tour of Malaysia by the Henan Xinxiang Acrobatic Troupe. The troupe came to Malaysia at the invitation of the MCFA. The excellent acrobatic performance put on by the troupe after the opening ceremony drew a large crowd and enlivened the atmosphere.

One can see traces of Chinese culture everywhere in Malaysia because of the large numbers of Chinese descendants. The visitors to the exhibition naturally felt close to it. Some of them could even name the characters of the Peking Opera when they saw their facial masks on display. Apart from attending their businesses， the members of the MCFA， with the MCC City—a shopping and business centre—as the base of their activities， are engaged enthusiastically in promoting the cause of Malaysia-China friendship and put in a lot of money and their precious time into it.

The 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal falls in 2005. World Cultural Net (WCN) of Nepal is a nongovernmental cultural exchange organization that has developed close ties with the CPAFFC in recent years. It successfully held the first Chinese Culture Festival in Nepal in 2003， which produced wide impact. It has planned to hold the Second Chinese Culture Festival in 2005 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. A Chinese Culture Information Centre has been set up at the headquarters of the WCN， providing the Nepalese people with information on Chinese culture， education， etc. free of charge.

The exhibition was mounted in the Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu. The WCN also put its collection of Chinese art objects and handicrafts on display. Sun Heping， Chinese ambassador to Nepal spoke at the opening ceremony and stroke the Chinese bells to signal the opening of the exhibition.

Buddhism originates in Nepal， where Hinduism and Buddhism prevail. The country is known for its exquisite arts and crafts with religious themes， especially its woodcarving decorations in the temples and bronze statues. Through the spread of Buddhism and contacts over the years， the cultures and arts of the two countries have influenced each other and mingled. The Nepalese visitors to the exhibition felt close to many forms of traditional Chinese arts. They were very interested in cloisonné， porcelain and carved lacquer ware.

The exhibitions held in Malaysia and Nepal enhanced the visitors’ understanding of the Chinese arts and handicrafts and deepened friendship.