International and Chinese guests gathered at the Yuantouzhu scenic spot in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province on March 21 to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the construction of the Sino-Japanese Cherry Blossom Friendship Forest.

Co-built by Wuxi and a Japanese civic group in 1987, the forest is now home to 300,000 cherry blossom trees, a remarkable increase from the initial 1,500 such trees.

Song Jingwu, former vice-president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, noted at the ceremony that the forest is a testimony of the friendship between Chinese and Japanese people.

Years of friendly exchanges and collaboration between Wuxi and Japan has promoted economic and social development on both sides, as well as mutual understanding between the two peoples, Song added.