A tale of two cities

Everyday moments

The project was formally initiated in 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, Fujian Media Group and Egypt's national media authority formed a joint production team and began filming.

The team decided to focus not only on historical sites, but also on how China-Egypt ties are reflected in everyday life.

The team began in Quanzhou, an important port on the ancient Maritime Silk Road that still retains cultural traces left by Arab merchants and their descendants.

"Quanzhou is home to many descendants of Arab merchants," Xu says.

The crew visited families with Arab ancestry and traditional incense makers, while also searching for Egyptians who had settled in Quanzhou.

One of them was businessman Hany Cai. When he first arrived in Fujian, Cai started out in product sourcing and trade. He later established his own company, expanded his cross-border business and opened Arabic classes.

Today, he sits around a tea table like a local, wears slippers and speaks Mandarin with a southern Fujian accent. Over the years, he has developed close relationships with merchants and residents in Quanzhou.

In Egypt, the crew met Quanzhou stone trader Lyu Minghua, who has traveled between China and Egypt for more than two decades.

Lyu first went to Egypt with relatives to look for stone resources. He eventually built a network of business relationships in the country and has continued traveling between China and Egypt, not only for business but also to meet local partners who have become friends.

"We came up with a word: 'intertextuality' — the way one person's story reflects another's," Xu says.

"These two men have very different journeys, but their stories echo each other. So we started looking for more such connections."