The signing ceremony of the agreement of “City of Friends” between Yangzhou and Orléans, France, and the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Joan of Arc was held in Sanwan Ecological Park Wednesday. Zhang Baojuan, deputy secretary of Yangzhou Municipal Committee and Olivier Carré, Mayor of Orléans unveiled the statue of Joan of Arc. Yu Ting, Vice Mayor of Yangzhou, signed the agreement of “City of Friends” with Mr. Carré.
Nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans", Joan of Arc is considered a heroine of France for her role during the Hundred Years' War. Joan of Arc has remained a popular figure in literature, painting, sculpture, and other cultural works since the time of her death, and many famous writers, filmmakers and composers have created works about her. Giving away the statue of Joan of Arc as a gift to Yangzhou, Orléans holds great expectations in the relationship between the two cities.
Ms. Zhang and Mr. Carré planted friendship trees and wished the friendship could last forever.
Located on the Loire River, Orléans, a 2,000-year-old cultural city, is still attracting thousands of visitors, especially from Asia. Yangzhou and Orléans began to conduct exchanges in 2014 and signed a memorandum of friendly exchanges in 2015.The interaction between the two sides has been frequent and the cooperation has become increasingly closer, with 15 visits and fruitful results achieved in the areas of tourism, economy, education, festivals and food.
Led by Mr. Carré, a delegation of representatives from government and tourism visited Yangzhou again on Wednesday to further promote practical cooperation between the two cities in the fields of economy, education, tourism, and food, and to strengthen exchanges between cities and promote common prosperity and development.
According to sources, Yangzhou is expected to establish an international friendship park and create an important platform for Yangzhou citizens to participate in foreign exchanges.
