Ahoy, Future Sailors! 🚢
Imagine walking onto a massive warship with cool missiles and high-tech gadgets! That’s exactly what happened when over 1,000 visitors got to explore the Chinese Navy’s amazing frigate, the Xuchang, at the International Maritime Defense Exhibition (IMDEX) Asia 2025 in Singapore!
What’s IMDEX Asia 2025?
IMDEX Asia is like the coolest boat show ever! 🌊 It’s one of Asia’s biggest events where countries show off their latest ships and sea technology. This year, more than 100 companies from all over the world came to share awesome things like ships powered by artificial intelligence (that’s when computers can think a bit like humans!) and super-strong engines.
Meet the Xuchang!
The star of the show was the Xuchang, a super cool ship called a Type 054A guided missile frigate. That means it’s a special kind of ship that can do lots of things like defend against enemy planes and ships! It’s over 4,000 tonnes heavy—imagine how many elephants that is! 🐘 And it was made in China all by themselves.
All Aboard! 🚢
Visitors got to walk around the ship, check out the missile systems, and even learn about the history of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. The friendly sailors gave them tours from one end of the ship to the other. One student visiting from China said, “It’s my first time here, and I feel overwhelmed. It is much larger than what I imagined!”
Cultural Fun on Deck 🎶
But wait, there’s more! At a special party on the ship, the sailors showed off some cool Chinese culture. They played music on an instrument called the Zheng—it’s like a big harp with 21 or 25 strings! They also did Tai Chi, which is a kind of slow-motion martial art, and even performed face-changing from Sichuan Opera, where they change masks really, really fast! 🎭
A visitor from Singapore said, “I experienced a lot of diversity in cultural stuff, and it’s very fortunate to come.” Everyone had a great time making new friends and learning about each other’s cultures.
Sailing into the Future
The Xuchang has been on many important missions since it was built in 2017, including training and protecting ships at sea. By opening up the ship to visitors, the Chinese Navy showed they are friendly and open to working together with others.
Who knows, maybe one day you’ll get to visit a cool ship like the Xuchang, or even sail the seas yourself! 🌟
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
