Valuable exchanges between Xi’an and foreign sister cities in pandemic

Xi’an People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

N ara， Japan， was the first city to establish sister city ties with Xi’an in May 1974. Since then， Xi’an has remained open for international sister city exchanges. Over the past four decades， the international network of Xi’an has been expanding. Even when confronting various difficulties brought by COVID-19， Xi’an has never slowed its pace of facilitating valuable crosscultural exchanges with cities around the globe.

During this tough period， many cities from various countries have fought epidemics together with Xi’an. Consequently， four more cities became the Chinese city’s sister cities —Brussels， Belgium； Valencia， Spain； Anton， South Korea； and Chisinau， Moldova.

To date， with 38 international sister cities and 63 friendly exchange cities， the Xi’an international network covers six continents， ranking first among the sub-provincial cities in China.

Although the outbreak of COVID-19 has severely hindered exchanges and cooperation between cities， the Xi’an Foreign Affairs Office has been on the right track of dealing with the negative impact of the coronavirus on international exchanges.

New Year’s greetings

When the 2021 Lunar New Year was approaching， many international sister cities sent New Year’s greetings to Xi’an. In response， the Xi’an Foreign Affairs Office published a series of articles — New Year Greetings from the Sister Cities of Xi’an — on its official social media accounts， showcasing the foreign cities’ unique charms and forwarding blessings from their mayors.

The articles created a literary atmosphere for the citizens to enjoy other cultures. Here they can read the New Year’s messages from mayors of sister cities； enjoy a drum concerto and intangible cultural heritage dance； get a feel for the mysterious Tharu culture of Nepal by watching some street performances； join in the bustling Valencia Las Fallas festival celebrations in Spain； and imagine going on the Brussels Ommegang tour in Belgium. You will be emotionally involved in them due to the descriptions of lifestyles and goodwill of sister cities， including theaters， symphony halls， ballet and symphonies.

For every article published domestically， the Xi’an Foreign Affairs Office sent a copy to the sister cities， which responded with joyful surprise and praise. While improving Xi’an citizens’ awareness of international sister cities， the articles provided inspiration and ideas for the foreign cities. For instance， Andong and Oldenburg followed suit to launch various promotional activities. It is worth mentioning that Xi’an was the first city Andong introduced in its series of virtual tours exploring sister cities.

Use of social media

In recent years， the rise of new media has brought opportunities for the development of various industries. The Xi’an Foreign Affairs Office launched a series of video promos on TikTok to tell stories of the foreign sister cities， under the theme of “Sister city， colorful life”. Season 1 consists of 10 episodes， each of which tells a story about Xi’an and one of the sister cities， presenting their unique cultural characteristics to audiences.

The XFAO has done massive work for the video production， using 2-minute short videos to attract the public to get to know sister cities and quickly generate an emotional connection with what they see. In the early stage， the video production group of XFAO visited relevant people to explore the highlights of the sister city exchanges. They met up with professional teams to discuss better shooting plans multiple times. Actors in the videos were young members of XFAO， with the participation of TikTok influencers and international friends.

After being shared on Shaanxi media’s official accounts on TikTok， the program immediately attracted wide attention and was highly appreciated by the sister cities. The series has garnered a whopping 1.2 million views and more than 40，000 likes.

Many stories about Xi’an and its sister cities are included in the program. You will know the millennium friendship between Xi’an and the city of Nara， Japan， before the Tang Dynasty， and how Abeno Nakamaro， a Nara envoy， and Li Bai became true friends in Chang’an （the ancient name of Xi’an）. You will also realize Heiannkyou （now Kyoto） was modeled after Chang’an of the Tang era.

Through several romantic stories about flowers， the videos also allow you to find out how the pomegranate flowers strengthen the bond of friendship between Xi’an and Chinju， South Korea， and how 3，000 cherry trees get across the ocean from the city of Funabashi， Japan， to Xi’an and finally bloom in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda Square.

There have always been food exchanges when two cultures meet. From Valencia seafood paella to marinated meat in a baked bun （or Chinese hamburger， roujiamo）， you will feel how popular they are at the Brussels International Food Festival in the videos.

There are also stories of communications in other fields， including the city of Pau， France， sending a blueprint to Xi’an to help the Chinese city build the Twin Stadiums； the friendly relationship between Xi’an No 89 Middle School and Oldenburg Old High School， Germany； the traditional masquerade dance of Andong， South Korea； and a labyrinth of streets in Fez， Morocco.

Freight trains

In recent years， the opening of the China-Europe freight train Chang’an has provided opportunities and impetus for Xi’an to promote the construction of the Belt and Road and strengthen international exchanges and cooperation. It has become an important channel for Xi’an to develop friendships and enhance economic and trade cooperation with other cultures.

In 2020， during the critical period of fighting COVID-19， Xi’an received sympathy messages from more than 60 international sister cities， organizations and individuals. As the pandemic ravages international sister cities， the Xi’an municipal government and the city’s enterprises offered medical supplies to more than 60 sister cities and friendly exchange cities， including some in Japan， Italy and Russia. It’s worth mentioning that it was the Chang’an freight train that carried supplies with the best wishes of the Xi’an people to one of its friendly exchange cities， Shymkent， Kazakhstan.

In June last year， the mascot wooden bear sculpture presented by the city of Kouvola， Finland， was transported by the Chang’an train to Xi’an to be placed in the North Station of Metro Line 4 as a symbol of friendly exchange between Xi’an and Kouvola.

We， the people of Xi’an， hope that the Chang’an train will help create more opportunities for international cooperation and establish more sistercity ties in the future wherever it goes.

Art conversations

International relations are not defined only by national policy but also by the transformative influence of international collaboration at the city and community levels. Sister city relationships offer the flexibility to form connections for the young generation. Participation in international exchanges not only strengthens their embracement of multiculturalism and their identity with their hometown but also sows seeds of world peace and friendship in children’s hearts.

To celebrate New Year’s Day in 2021， the Xi’an foreign affairs office and Shaanxi Little Swan Arts Troupe jointly hosted an international friendship activity for the city’s children to make greeting cards conveying good wishes to mayors of the international sister cities and other foreign friends.

In October， to promote mutual learning about civilizations and cultures among young people， XFAO held “The World in My Eyes — Xi’an International Sister City Teenagers’Painting Exhibition”. On show were 125 paintings from Xi’an and 11 sister cities in nine countries. Audiences can gain insight into the history， values and aesthetic sensibilities from the artworks which were full of imagination and vibrant color， showing young people’s understanding of the world and exploration of art.

Ping Pong， a universal language

During the COVID-19 epidemic， the XFAO has been searching for new ways to cooperate with other organizations to effectively utilize various social resources， including those created by relations with sister cities， and to explore new channels for cultural exchanges and international communication for a better telling of Xi’an’s stories.

In 2020， a special event ignited the enthusiasm of international students at universities in Xi’an. Under the theme of “Playing Table Tennis to Promote Global Harmony”， training programs and friendly games were organized for local and international college students.The event was supported by the local government， universities， NGOs and enterprises.

With its slogans — “Ping-pong is not just a hobby， it’s a lifestyle” and“Let’s Ping-Pong” — more than 300 international students participated in a 30-hour intensive training program in various forms for five weeks， including students from Samarkand， Uzbekistan， and Osh， Kyrgyzstan， which are sister cities.

People-to-people exchanges are the most important part of international exchanges. When people connect， they feel seen， known， understood and valued. The activity bonds people， creates connections for all participants， promotes a healthy lifestyle and facilitates peace and understanding between different cultures.

Overseas students generously shared their appreciation of the activity with their families and friends， which extended the international influence of Xi’an and also attracted students from abroad to pay attention to the 14th National Games of the People’s Republic of China， which were held in Xi’an.

Summary

Although the pandemic has posed social challenges， Xi’an has always engaged with its global partners. It is interesting to note that Xi’an has developed sister city partnerships with four cities and built friendly exchange relationships with four others since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Xi’an has conducted various exchanges with the sister cities， including the Cherry Blossom Show with South Korea and Japan； the Chinese New Year event in Xi’an and St. Petersburg； the Paella Competition in Valencia； as well as online meetings with Funabashi， Japan， and Andong， South Korea. Moreover， the XFAO took the opportunity of the Shaanxi 100 Pairs of International Sister Cities Celebration to celebrate the 5th or 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship with Pau， France； Groningen， the Netherlands； Konya， Turkey； and Kragujevac， Serbia.

Xi’an will further use its geographical advantages as the starting point of the ancient Silk Road to conduct better interaction with its sister cities for common development and will embrace the world with a more open and inclusive attitude.