Sanya among three finalists for '2017 East Asia City of Culture'

(Source: Internet)

Sanya and two other cities, Harbin in Heilongjiang province and Changsha in Hunan province, were the finalists for the 2017 East Asia City of Culture, as chosen by a judge committee of officials from the Chinese Ministry of Culture and experts in the fields of cultural exchange and cooperation, “intangible cultural heritage protection and inheritance” and “cultural service system construction” on July 25th in Beijing.

The East Asia City of Culture programme was first proposed by the culture ministers of China, Japan and South Korea at the third ministerial conference in Nara, Japan, in January 2011. In the spirit of “East Asian identity, cultural exchange, and mutual appreciation”, the East Asia City of Culture campaign selected one city from each of the participating countries. It aims to promote cultural diversity in East Asia, and to allow the three countries to foster mutual understanding and a sense of unity in the region.

The final judging took place in Beijing with representatives of the three candidate cities making their cases in turn. The committee gave the highest score to Changsha, a centre of agriculture and intellect situated in the river valley along the lower reaches of the Xiang River in Hunan province.

Xu Zhenling, Vice Mayor of Sanya, said at the final judging that Sanya is a popular vacation destination boasting greenery, tropical weather, beaches, forests, hot springs and clean air. As an important port city on the 21st Maritime Silk Road, Sanya boasts an abundant culture heritage covering thousands of years of history. Sanya is one of the few places in China where the Li ethnic group have settled. The Miao and Hui people are other ethnic groups living in Sanya, and their various cultures and customs attract many visitors annually.

In recent year, Sanya has hosted many cultural exchange activities with Japan and South Korea. Sanya established a sister-city relationship with South Korea’s Seogwipo City in 1999 and on May 25th, 2004, Sanya established friendly exchange ties with Kamogawa City in southern Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Quanzhou in Fujian province, Qingdao in Shandong province, and Ningbo in Zhejiang province were the chosen cities of culture in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. The three cities used the honour to good advantage, boosting culture development, adding vitality to urban life and enhancing their international reputations.