Audiences that listened to lectures around the country given by a group of former Chinese diplomats on Sino-Japanese relations all agreed rational patriotism was necessary.

　　Liu Xiaojuan, a graduate student of history with Sichuan University, said: "We must clearly understand our country is at a crucial stage of development, therefore it is necessary to make good use of patriotic enthusiasm."

　　Liu was one of about 1,400 students and teachers from 26 colleges in Sichuan Province who listened to a lecture given on Friday by Xu Dunxin, former vice foreign minister and Chinese ambassador to Japan.

　　Xu was on a national speech tour organized by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His lectures were designed to help Party and government officials, as well as students of higher learning institutes correctly understand the current international situation, the history and present situation of Sino-Japanese relations as well as China's policy toward Japan.

　　The lecture tour began on Tuesday, with stopovers in cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

　　Qin Wenzhen, a student with Southwest Jiaotong University, said Xu's lecture was instrumental in improving his understanding of Sino-Japanese relations.

　　"We could by no means let enthusiasm and radicalism disrupt our country's normal diplomatic work," he said.

　　Yang Zhenya, also a former Chinese ambassador to Japan and now honorary president with the Chinese Association of Asian-African Development and Exchange, addressed a total of 3,000 Party officials, government workers and college students on Sino-Japanese relations in Hangzhou on Friday and Saturday.

　　Hu Wei with Zhejiang Provincial Health Bureau said Yang's lecture made him understand that peace benefited both Japan and China.

　　While exercising calmness in showing patriotic displays, Xie Bin, a junior student with the architecture and engineering college of Zhejiang Polytechnic Industry University, said "stability and unity are in China's interest, as the country can thrive by building a strong economy."

　　Wu Jianmin, president of China Foreign Affairs University and former Chinese ambassador to France, on Thursday also gave two lectures at the Medical Science Department of Beijing University and the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China about the history of Sino-Japanese relations.

　　After one lecture, Zhang Gehui, a teacher at the Medical Sciences Department of Peking University, said: "It does not make sense to boycott Japanese products."

　　(Xinhua)