SENJ, Croatia, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The presence of a Chinese team at the 50th International Senj Summer Carnival is a proof that those Chinese builders have close ties with local community, said Viktor Samarzija, director of the Senj Tourist Board, in an interview with Xinhua on Monday.
"We are extremely pleased that the Chinese team participated in our carnival for the second year. It is an honor for us to host them," Samarzija said.
China's Norinco International Cooperation Ltd. (Norinco International), together with the Chinese embassy in Zagreb and the Confucius Institute at the Zagreb University, participated in a parade on Saturday, the highlight of the week-long carnival starting on Aug. 7.
The carnival, which featured concerts, exhibitions, parades and fireworks this year, has been the largest of its kind in Croatia. Some 50 groups of over 2,000 people from Croatia and Slovenia, Italy, Austria and other countries participated, attracting tens of thousands of spectators.
The Chinese team, while showcasing costumes of ancient China, also constantly interacted with the crowds and won rounds of applauses.
Norinco International is the contractor and builder of Croatia's Senj Wind Farm, located on the Adriatic coast of western Croatia and inaugurated in December 2021. The wind farm produces about 530 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green electricity each year and reduces Croatia's carbon dioxide emissions by about 460,000 tonnes per year.
Referring to the Chinese builders as "extremely cultured and unobtrusive people," Samarzija said they "perfectly integrated into our society and the proof of that is this carnival gathering where we exchange the customs and wealth of our two cultures with each other."
Samarzija said the Senj Wind Farm is of "great importance" in both boosting local employment and generating economic profits.
According to the Chinese embassy, while under construction, the wind farm project employed over 260 local residents and had contracts with more than 40 local subcontractors, suppliers and service providers.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has hailed the Senj Wind Farm as a project key to the clean and renewable energy sector in the city and the country as a whole.
The Chinese presence here is also "a proof of a close relationship" between the Chinese and the local community, Samarzija said.
As Senj's tourism director, Samarzija extended his welcome to tourists from China. Senj, dubbed as the pearl of the North Adriatic, is known for its natural beauty, long history of over 3,000 years as well as its rich cultural heritage, he said.
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