Deputy Mayor of Hohhot Wang Xinyu: «Perm is a beautiful city and the Kama River is its soul»

Photo:Vitaly Koksharov

As part of the visit, the People’s Republic of China delegation visited  the city’s main attractions  which were renovated for the jubilee anniversary. Members of the delegation in turn shared their impressions of Perm.

Perm is actively developing partnerships with Chinese cities. Thus, the  delegation from   Hohhot  came on a visit  to the capital city of the Perm Region  on August  15- 16  . The participants met with the city authorities and discussed opportunities for cooperation between cities in various spheres. After the meeting in the city administration, representatives of the People’s Republic of China  visited the exhibition in the Perm State Art Gallery and  walked through the city embankment.

– Perm is a beautiful city. We walked along the waterfront of the  Kama, which is the soul of Perm. We were also lucky to be part of the 300th anniversary of this city with a rich history - we have already seen a lot of historical monuments, - said Deputy Mayor of the City of Hohhot Wang Xinyu.

As part of the tour around  iconic city objects, guests from China laid flowers at the Memorial of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps on the Soviet Army Boulevard  which was renovated as part of preparation for Perm’s 300th anniversary - pedestrian walkways were built, outdoor lighting, benches and litter bins were installed, and the monument itself was put in order. The delegation participants noted the beautification of the city, abundance of greenery and architectural attractions.

• Perm made a wonderful impression on me, it’s a very clean and beautiful city,  said Sheng Lizhong, Director General of «YUN CHOU» company.

During the tour, the delegation participants visited other landmarks in  Perm. They also  familiarized themselves with the work of the Young Spectators Theatre and met students of Lyceum No. 4 who visited Hohhot  in July as part of their participation in the international summer camp. At the Esplanade guests from China had a chance to look at the result of a   large-scale project of improvements made in the area  around the Monument to Heroes of the Front and Rear, and in the square opposite the Soldatov Palace of Culture  where they learnt  the story  of its creation.

– We looked at a lot of cultural institutions - art gallery, theater and many architectural monuments. We are glad that there is such a great opportunity to exchange experience. We hope that the residents of our cities will also be able to visit each other, - said Foreign Office Chief of  the Municipal Government of Hohhot Hou Zhihui.

At the end of the visit, the delegation members wished Perm further development and noted that relations, both business and cultural, need to be intensified. The natural outcome of the visit were the mutual invitations to visit - for representatives of the business community, for Chinese schoolchildren, students and just tourists or travelers. Moreover, athletes from Hohhot received an invitation to take part in  the Perm Marathon  which annually gathers thousands of participants.

Note that the interaction with Hohhot in a number of areas has already started. For example, as part of the business program of the city ecological festival Nature of the City,   held in Perm in June 2023, Hohhot sent video materials on environmental topics that were demonstrated at the venues of the festival.

Hohhot is not the only Chinese city with which the city government has built partnerships. Since 2006, Perm has been twinned with  Qingdao, China. This summer the Perm delegation took part in the Forum of People’s Diplomacy of the SCO member states held  in Qingdao. Perm became the only municipality of Russia invited to this status international event. In June, Perm entrepreneurs visited with Changzhou and  Shanghai on a business mission. Cooperation with another Chinese city, Zunyi, is also growing.