A delegation from Chengdu, including representatives of officials from publicity Department of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee, culture and technology companies visited Austin, Texas for South by Southwest (SXSW). The visit aimed to promote the development of Chengdu and enhance the mutually beneficial relationship between Chengdu and Austin.
During the Chengdu Promotion event at Austin City Hall , Zhang Yingming, Deputy Director- General Publicity Department of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee, introduced Chengdu’s development strategies and achievements in recent years. In the speech, Zhang featured Chengdu’s political, economic, social-cultural and technological advancements as one of the fastest-growing cities in China. He also highlighted the goal of “Three Cities and Three Capitals”, which contributes to the faster development of a world-famous cultural city.
“Chengdu has established the vison of city development based on ‘one mountain connects two wings’. This new vision started the change of the next thousand years for Chengdu,” Zhang said. “Chengdu’s culture and economy is leading in Western China, and Chengdu is becoming one of the new first-tier city of China.”
Chengdu and Austin are both members of World Cities Culture Forum and have every intention of becoming Friendship cities. “I’m really excited to see the size of the delegation, and it’s the first Chinese government delegation to come to Austin and SXSW,” said Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin. “The more people that are involved, the better chances we would have for this ongoing relationship, and it’s also encouraging for our future collaboration.”
After the promotion event, the city of Chengdu hosted Chengdu Night – a reception presented by China Gathering@SXSW. During the event, a traditional Chengdu tea ceremony and Sichuan face mask changing Opera held, amazing the guests with the uniqueness and stimulated their interest in learning more about Chengdu’s culture.
“They both center on improving the cultural environment and see innovation as the main driving force for development,” said Ambassador Li Qiangmin, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Houston. “I hope we can see more dynamic groups like Chengdu show their strength and potential at SXSW and work with the top institutions in the world to create a global innovation map.”
SOURCE: ChinaGathering@SXSW
