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    ENGLISH-LANGUAGE enthusiasts will gather for a gala at the square near the north gate of the Lichi Park in Futian District, Shenzhen, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday.

    People who are enthusiastic about learning English and volunteers will stage cultural performances and play games.

    Mark Obama, a well-known volunteer in Shenzhen, will attend the event to inspire people to learn English, according to the service center of the city’s foreign affairs office.

    A 97-year-old Chinese translator, Tian Kaihui, will also be there.

    The event is the first one to be organized by Shenzhen’s English corner platform, which was launched in April.

    The platform consists of a website (www.szfaosc.com/sdxhd.aspx) and QQ and WeChat accounts, which will open soon.

    The website functions as a communication platform for English-language enthusiasts in the city.

    Aside from that, activities at English corners across the city are updated on the website.

    Via QQ and WeChat, English-language experts will be invited to answer questions of learners, according to the foreign affairs office.

    Saturday’s event is also part of Shenzhen’s ongoing one-month campaign to promote international etiquette that was launched June 22.

    The campaign is aimed at boosting the city’s ongoing drive to become an international metropolis.

    The campaign will include a series of activities to introduce international etiquette to local residents in the form of lectures, salons and media reports. Diplomats, entrepreneurs and scholars will be involved in the campaign.