Aerial photo shows the view of Quanzhou City, east China's Fujian Province.
BEIJING, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The 6th China-France Cultural Forum was held from Nov. 12 to 14 in Deauville, France. During the event, Cai Zhansheng, mayor of Quanzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, promoted the city to all attendees at the mayors' roundtable.
Identified by UNESCO as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, the city on the coastline of east China's Fujian Province was a crucial trade hub, particularly in ancient China's Song Dynasty (960-1279) and Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), dubbed "the largest port in the East" at that time.
Nowadays, the city is a powerhouse for private economy and various industries, including porcelain, tea, textiles, apparel and footwear. The city ranks the first among Chinese cities in terms of porcelain exports, with its porcelain products sold to over 190 countries and regions. Tieguanyin Tea, a variety of Chinese oolong tea originated here, was deemed a globally important agricultural heritage by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The city also boasts the world's largest modern sports products cluster, with a total output value of over 800 billion yuan (about 111.7 billion U.S. dollars).
Quanzhou has been an inclusive city since the ancient times. In Song and Yuan dynasties, the area where foreigners lived accounted for one third of the whole city. The city is also known as the "Museum of World Religions", with Buddhism, Nestorianism, Islam, Manichaeism and other religious cultures live in close proximity. In 2021, UNESCO accepted "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China" as a cultural property on its World Heritage List.
Quanzhou has deep ties with France. In 2010, Quanzhou officially formed sister city relationship with Hérault, France, laying a foundation for further exchanges and communications between the two sides. Since the first session of China-France Cultural Forum in 2016, Quanzhou started to hold "Blanc de Chine" international porcelain arts competition every two years.
In 2024, China and France not only celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, but also observe it as the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. Against such backdrop, Quanzhou and France have seen more exchanges. Last month, Quanzhou's traditional costumes from Xunpu Village and Hui'an County were shown at the 2024 China-France Fashion Week.
Cai invited global friends to visit Quanzhou and experience the unique charm of the World Heritage City during his speech, hoping that through the forum, more exchanges and cooperation at deeper levels and in wider fields will be achieved in the future.
(Edited by Li Shimeng with Xinhua Silk Road, lishimeng@xinhua.org)
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