Chinese Ambassador to Iran: Trip to Shiraz; Creating New Bright Spots in China-Iran Co-op

Natural landscapes and ancient historical monuments are always two complementary factors, and Fars province has a lot to offer in both of these areas, namely natural resources and historical monuments, and there are nearly 300 attractive places around this province.

By : Homa Haseli

Tourismonline: His Excellency Mr. Cong Peiwu, the Chinese Ambassador to Iran wrote in a note: “Recently, I visited one of the important southern provinces of Iran, Fars.  The ancient culture and history of Fars province, its beautiful natural landscapes, and the hospitable people of this region made a deep impression on me, and on this occasion, I decided to introduce and describe my beautiful memories and enthusiastic expectations for provincial cooperation between China and Iran.

Natural landscapes and ancient historical monuments are always two complementary factors, and Fars province has a lot to offer in both of these areas, namely natural resources and historical monuments, and there are nearly 300 attractive places around this province.

Shiraz as the capital of Fars Province is one of the famous cultural and tourist cities in Iran, which has also earned the beautiful nickname of “the city of flowers and nightingales.”

Shiraz is also the birthplace of Hafez, Saadi, and some other famous Iranian poets. Saadi is the same poet who, after traveling to Kashgar in Xinjiang, China in the 13th century, wrote down his unforgettable experiences from this trip, which in itself is a living record of the friendly exchanges and mutual learning between the two ancient civilizations of China and Iran.

The chapters of the book History and Modern Development are colorful and full of adventure, and Fars Province is an important birthplace of ancient Iranian civilization, and places like Persepolis tell stories of thousands of years of history.

In recent years, high-quality agricultural products from Fars Province, such as figs, have been imported into the Chinese market and have been widely welcomed and loved by Chinese consumers.

The reality is that Fars Province has unique advantages in terms of cooperation with China, and relying on this space; both sides should  take advantage of opportunities to explore and extract more and more innovative points in various areas of cooperation.

Pragmatic cooperation and human and cultural exchanges in such an environment constitute a win-win equation.

In recent years, Shiraz has established sister city relations with the cities of Nanjing and Chongqing in China, and from this perspective, it has opened a new chapter in cooperation between China and Iran.

Currently, the modernization process in China is taking firm and new steps, and within this framework, China has comprehensively deepened the reform and open-door policy, as well as expanded the international cooperation. The point here is that China does not pursue modernization solely for itself, but hopes to realize this together with other countries in the world, including Iran.

Today, Iranian people from all walks of life have a positive and significant assessment of Chinese modernization, and it seems that, at the same time as Iran announces policies in the field of livelihood development and economic revival, the two countries can deepen their extensive cooperation and engage in interactions that will ultimately bring prosperity and benefits to the nations of the two countries.

During my time in Fars Province, wherever I went, I encountered a warm and significant desire and interest from Iranian friends from all walks of life to cooperate with China.

In October last year, Mr. Xi Jinping, the esteemed President of China, held a successful meeting with Mr. Pezzekian, the esteemed President of Iran, in Kazan, and reached important agreements that set a clear direction for the development of China-Iran relations.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Iran is willing to play the role of a bridge of communication with Iranian friends living in Fars Province from all walks of life, while creating new and bright spots in provincial cooperation between China and Iran, marks a new chapter in the relations between the two countries.”