Czech people hope Xi's visit will bring benefits

For local resident Alena Steinfelderova, whether enhanced bilateral ties can bring benefits to people is what most locals really care about.

"I think many people are expecting that the Chinese president's visit can bring more investment and create more job opportunities," Steinfelderova told Xinhua. "In this sense, I believe strengthening Czech-China relationship is a good thing."

Besides the growing economic cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the Czech Republic have been flourishing in recent years.

The Czech Republic is an attractive destination for Chinese tourists, who made a record number of more than 300,000 visits here in 2015. Chinese Hainan Airlines opened direct flights between Beijing and Prague in September 2015, the first non-stop service between the two countries.

In a traditional Czech restaurant near the Prague Castle, a waiter jubilantly greeted Xinhua in Chinese and proudly showed different martial arts actions he learned from Chinese movies.

"I like Chinese culture and kung fu, especially the Shaolin Temple," said the waiter who identified himself as Ivan.

He told Xinhua that he knew the Chinese president is coming. "People are talking about the visit these days. Hope his visit will help bring more Chinese tourists here," said Ivan.

Calling people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries "the best way to keep the relationship close," Hejtmanek, the antiquary, believes the relations between China and the Czech Republic could be better as the Czech Republic is one of the first countries to recognize the People's Republic of China.

Hejtmanek's gallery has a collection of over 1,000 Chinese works. He told Xinhua that his clients used to be mostly from China but now the situation is changing.

"More local people have begun to understand and appreciate the Chinese arts. I want to show them, especially young people, how incredible the Chinese arts are," he said.

Hejtmanek said he "100 percent" believes President Xi's visit would be a new start for relations between China and the Czech Republic as well as the Central and Eastern European countries.

"This is the center of Europe. What is a better base than here? " he said.

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