President Xi Jinping and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon unveil the "Zun of Peace" as a gift to the UN, commemorating its 70th anniversary. The gift, modeled after Chinese ancient bronze artefacts "Zun" using cloisonné technique, shows China's support to the UN. (Photo/Xinhua)
President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan presented a gift from China to the United Nations at a ceremony with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at UN headquarters in New York on Sunday. [Special coverage]
Xi said the gift - called The Peace Bottle - was to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the UN.
The Peace Bottle was inspired by ancient traditional Chinese bronze ware called "bottles" and carried to the UN best wishes from more than 1.3 billion Chinese people, Xi said.
Xi explained that the gift not only expressed China's long history and modern civilization, but also embodied the mutual learning and tolerance between different civilizations and cultures, which stimulates social progress and development.
The Peace Bottle conveyed the Chinese people's desire for and belief in peace, development and cooperation for win-win outcomes, which is consistent with the spirit of the United Nations Charter, Xi said.
In the coming decades, China looks forward to working with other nations to achieve the UN's dream, Xi said.
On behalf of the UN, Ban Ki-moon graciously thanked the Chinese people for the gift.
Ban said the Peace Bottle represents the common values and close cooperative relationship between China and the UN. He thanked China for its contributions towards world peace and development.
Ban said the UN was eager to continue strengthening its cooperation with China in realizing the Millennium Development Goals, reducing world poverty and tackling climate change.
The Peace Bottle was created using the Cloisonné enamel technique, an art form regarded to be part of China's intangible cultural heritage.
Using "Chinese red" as the main color, the Peace Bottle is decorated with dragon ornamentation on top, symbolizing the quest for peace, and elephant heads and phoenix ornaments on both sides, representing social harmony and people's well-being.
The body of the bottle is decorated with traditional Chinese auspicious patterns, with elements of the Silk Road inserted, bearing the concepts of peaceful development, exchange and cooperation.
There are also seven doves representing the 70 years that the UN has been fighting for world peace.
