Exhibition of Photos and Gifts of Zhangzhou’s Foreign Affairs Activities

The Exhibition of Photos and Gifts of Zhangzhou’s Foreign Affairs Activities sponsored by the Zhangzhou Municipal People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （ZMPAFFC） opened in the Zhangzhou Archives on January 15. The permanent exhibition is divided into two parts covering friendship city activities and international exchanges.

On display are over 200 photos taken and more than 70 gifts received during the city’s external exchanges since 1985 when Zhangzhou was upgraded from a prefecture-level city to a full city. The exhibits vividly represent exciting moments of the city’s external exchanges， show the friendship between the people of Zhangzhou and other countries and reflect the development of the city’s foreign affairs work.

The exhibition， open to the public free of charge， aims to increase the public’s knowledge about the city’s foreign affairs work so as to gain their support， and inspire them to be actively involved in the Belt and Road Initiatives to write a new chapter in the city’s opening up.

Zhangzhou’s First International Friendship City

Which was the first foreign city to form friendship-city ties with Zhangzhou？ A yellowing old photo displayed for the first time provides the answer.

In the 1980s， the early days of reform and opening up， there existed a strong atmosphere of friendship between China and Japan. Zhangzhou， a city that had just begun its contacts with foreign countries， strived to open itself to the world through friendship-city ties with other countries. With the help of Fujian Province and Nagasaki Prefecture， Zhangzhou and Isahaya City opened friendly contacts. On April 15， 1991， the two sides signed the agreement on the establishment of friendship-city relations and have since carried out frequent exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy， science， technology， culture and education.

Why Did the Australian Prime Minister Come to Zhangzhou in 1986？

On May 24， 1986， the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke stood in the front of the rostrum with a speech draft in his hands. A red banner with white-colored words both in Chinese and English — International Wool Co.， Ltd. — and Chinese and Australian national flags were impressively hung on the wall. This photo recorded Hawke’s attendance at the unveiling of the International Wool Co.， Ltd. in Zhangzhou.

In 1985， Zhangzhou as one of China’s first coastal economic open zones got a fresh start in its opening up to the outside world. Its external contacts became increasingly active and cooperation with foreign cities expanded to cover more areas. Zhangzhou Woolen Mill and Macquarie Group Ltd. of Australia jointly set up the International Wool Co.， Ltd. as the first joint venture in Zhangzhou.

Philippine President Corazon Aquino’s Visit to Zhangzhou

In April 1988， during her state visit to China， Philippine President Corazon Aquino made a special trip to Zhangzhou to trace her roots and pay respect to her ancestors. On April 17， she planted a Chinese fir （arau caria cunninghamii） in Hongjian Village， her ancestral home. Today， this tree of friendship has grown tall with luxuriant leaves.

Visits of Narcissus Princess of Hawaii in Zhangzhou

The contacts between Zhangzhou and Honolulu date back to over 200 years ago. The ancestors of Zhangzhou people took narcissus bulbs to Honolulu and planted them there. Since then， narcissus has become one of the important ties of cultural and business exchanges between the two places. Starting from 1950， the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii has been holding the contest of Narcissus Queen and Narcissus Princess every year. On March 4， 2013 Zhangzhou and Honolulu formally twinned as friendship cities.

On display are precious photos of visits to Zhangzhou by successive delegations of Narcissus Queens. In 1988 a nearly 100-member Narcissus Queens delegation came to Zhangzhou and stayed at the Overseas Chinese Travel Service （now the Overseas Chinese Hotel）. People crowded the street where the hotel was located， waiting to catch a glimpse of Narcissus Queens.

Narcissus and Tulips

In recent years， Zhangzhou and Wageningen of the Netherlands have kept close contacts thanks to flowers. Since 2006， delegations of Wageningen have visited Zhangzhou eight times. The increased exchanges in the areas of flowers， food， education and manufacturing industry between the two cities have brought about the establishment of friendship-city ties.

At the exhibition， there is a photo dated April 8， 2012 showing crowds cheering and confetti fired from small cannons showering down at the unveiling of the Sino-Europe Agricultural Development Center （SEADC）. The SEADC， built with investments from Wageningen University and Research Center， the International Association of Horticultural Producers and the Sino-Europe Technology Promotion Center， formally went into operation in the Zhangzhou Development Zone.

Aalt Dijkhuizen， President of Wageningen University， inaugurated the center. Chris Buijink， Vice Minister of Economic Affairs， Agriculture and Innovation of the Netherlands， and other Dutch friends officiated at the inauguration. The establishment of the SEADC has facilitated training of qualified personnel for agriculture and food industry for Zhangzhou.

Thanks to Friendship Cities， Foreigners Have Become China Experts

To strengthen contacts and cooperation between Wageningen and Zhangzhou， the city has sent delegations many times.

In 2011， a Wageningen city delegation visited the “Garden on the Sea” — Gulangyu Island of Xiamen. The guests were attracted by the buildings there of architectural styles of different countries. They strolled to the Haoyue （Bright Moon） Park where they saw a tall stone statue of Zheng Chenggong by the seaside.

Mayor Geert van Rumud， head of the delegation， asked with curiosity whom it was. Lian Sile， Deputy Director of the Zhangzhou Municipal Foreign and Overseas Affairs Office， replied： “He was a Chinese national hero in the Ming Dynasty. He made great achievements in Taiwan.” Mayor Lumud suddenly realized， saying humorously， “I see. He is Zheng Chenggong. Our ancestors suffered defeat at his hands.”

In his contacts with Zhangzhou， Mayor Lumud had become very interested in China and had gained much knowledge about Chinese history and traditional culture.

Barometer of China-Japan

Relations

On the opening day of the exhibition， a gift from Date City of Hokkaido， Japan aroused people’s interest.

Date City and Zhangzhou began their friendly contacts in the autumn of 2005， and formally formed friendship-city ties on April 7， 2010. This exhibit， a desk clock， was a gift to the ZMPAFFC from the Date Japan-China Friendship Association. The guide said humorously： “In 2012， the 40th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations， Japan’s unilateral action — ‘islands purchase’ — seriously damaged the Sino-Japanese relations. As if understanding human nature， the clock stopped unexpectedly. This year as the tense bilateral relations eased a bit， the clock began ticking again.”

Li Hong， Deputy Director of the Fujian Provincial Foreign Affairs Office， looked at the clock carefully and then uttered， “Look！ The clock shows the wrong time. It seems that China and Japan are out of step with each other in their relationship.” This humorous remark made everyone laugh.