Sharing cultures, building connections
Sister cities in China and Germany strive together to keep old houses alive and promote urban development
Citizen participation
Fang Qian, deputy director of the Huangshan Municipal People's Government's Office of Foreign Affairs, said Stralsund has done an excellent job in engaging its citizens. The city has a dedicated heritage institution which provides professional guidance for heritage protection decisions.
She highlighted the high level of citizen participation — residents weave their everyday lives into conservation efforts, achieving a seamless blend of preservation and development.
"This is something we can learn from," she said.
This kind of cross-border exchange is not new.
Decades before Stralsund and Huangshan became sister cities, a Huizhou-style garden had already taken root in Frankfurt, Germany.
Its chief designer was Cheng Jiyue, an expert in traditional Huizhou architecture from Huangshan.
In 1988, Cheng led the garden's design, refining every detail with his team. The design drew on the ancient villages of Huangshan, but had to be adapted to Frankfurt's soil, climate and locally available materials. As Cheng put it, the project was about "planting the soul of Huizhou in German soil".
Cheng remembered working alongside German stonemasons and carpenters, exchanging techniques and solving problems together. He said the garden has endured because its care has always been a shared responsibility.
Throughout decades, artisans from Huangshan brought the seeds of Huizhou culture to Germany. Those seeds have taken root and, with care from both sides, blossomed into new avenues of collaboration.
In May, the Huangshan Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism signed a memorandum of cooperation with the cultural heritage department of Stralsund during the Global Mayors Dialogue.
Looking ahead, the bureau said Huangshan plans to establish a cultural tourism promotion center in Germany.
It also intends to partner with Huangshan Vocational and Technical College to launch a training program for tour guides specializing in European languages.
Fang said that building on shared cultural heritage, the two sister cities aim to deepen collaboration in tourism, cultural exchanges, and economic and trade ties.
"Whether it is Huangshan or Stralsund, these are shared treasures of all humanity — we have a common duty to protect them, safeguard them, and pass them on," Fang said.
Xia Ji in Huangshan, Anhui, contributed to this story.
Contact the writers at houchenchen@chinadaily.com.cn
