A commemorative activity was recently held in the Chinese Garden in Zurich, Switzerland, to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of its sister city status with Kunming, the capital city of southwest China's Yunnan province.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, Zhao Qinghua, Chinese Consul General in Zurich, spoke highly of the achievements made by Zurich and Kunming, as well as the other 19 pairs of Swiss and Chinese cities, in their friendly exchanges over the past four decades.
Those in attendance of the commemorative activity included Hou Jian, counselor of the Chinese embassy in Switzerland; Thomas Wagner, former mayor of Zurich, president of the Swiss-Chinese Association and honoree of the Chinese Government Friendship Award; and representatives of people of Chinese descent, Chinese people, Chinese overseas students and Chinese-invested enterprises in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Sigmund Widmer, then-mayor of Zurich, led a delegation from the municipal government to pay an official visit to Kunming on February 17, 1982. Two cities agreed to establish sister city status during that visit.
In 1993, Kunming built a traditional Chinese garden in Zurich as a symbol of their bilateral ties. The garden, which is adjacent to Zurich Lake, has become an ideal place for local people to take a break and appreciate Chinese culture since it opened to the public in 1994.
Over the past four decades, the two cities have conducted in-depth exchanges and cooperation and made sound progress in city planning, public transport, tourism, cultural arts and the building of a low-carbon environment.
