June 18th was the third day of Eid al-Fitr festival celebration and the Dragon Boat Festival in China. I found myself very lucky to experience the confluence of these two festivals in Beijing.

On the first day of Eid al-Fitr, I visited the Nanxiapo Mosque, which is located outside Chaoyang gate in east Beijing.

I found that many women were marking the festival with men. They are wearing some traditional Chinese dresses and some glimpses of Muslim outfit also there.

Everyone was friendly, and some of my Pakistani friends took pictures with local people. I was entertained with some traditional Chinese food and felt warmth of the festival atmosphere.

Together with people around, I also made best festival wishes.

The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival fell on Monday, June 18 this year.

As a visitor who loves Chinese culture, I was delighted to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with local people.

For me, one of the interesting parts of the Dragon Boat Festival is that I learned to how to make "Zongzi" -- a kind of traditional Chinese rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves.

During my stay in China, I found that China is a harmonious and peaceful country, where people are friendly and ever ready to embrace different cultures. Also the way that China preserves traditional culture inspires a deep love in the hearts of the younger generation for their future and their country.

By Aatizaz Hassan, the author is a journalist of Down TV Live, Pakistan.?

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