The Netherlands Friendship Park at the Nanjing Green Expo Park was built in 2005 with the support of the Dutch city of Eindhoven, a sister city of Nanjing., Eindhoven mayor John Jorritsma came to the site during his visit to Nanjing on the morning of June 10.
Nanjing and Eindhoven became sister cities in 1985. To strengthen the friendship, Nanjing will also present a Chinese-style building in Eindhoven. Jorritsma said the building will be joint efforts of the designers of Nanjing and Eindhoven. After completion, the building will be used to spread Chinese culture, such as establishing a Confucius institute, a Chinese medicine center or a Chinese tea house. At present, the two sides are actively preparing for this work. Jorritsma’s delegation also includes the Dutch architects who will discuss the design proposal in Nanjing.
This is Jorritsma's fifteenth visit to China and the third time to Nanjing. He said that Nanjing has undergone earth-shaking changes and become more fashionable and international compared with his last visit to the city ten years ago.
Eindhoven, located in the southern part of the Netherlands, has an area of 88.84 square kilometers and a population of more than 200,000. Jorritsma said he hopes that the two cities can carry out more cooperation and exchanges in health care, smart cities and sustainable use of energy, among other areas.
During Jorritsma’s visit, the organizing committee of Einhoven's light art festival GLOW also signed a cooperation memorandum with Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Culture Development Co., Ltd.
“Nanjing’s Qinhuai lanterns will appear on the light art festival in Einhoven in the second half of this year. We are very much looking forward to the participation of Nanjing,” said Jorritsma.
