Guiyang celebrates 10th anniversary with international friendship cities

2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of friendship between Guiyang and the cities of Burnaby (Canada), Hincesti (Moldova), Seoul's Geumcheon district (South Korea), and San Francisco (the United States).

To celebrate this special moment, Guiyang sent commemorative gifts to these four international friends – Miao silver hats, which showcase the rich ethnic culture of the Miao people.

The Miao silver hat is an important component of traditional attire for Miao women in Guizhou province, symbolizing auspiciousness, wisdom, and purity of friendship.

The selection of these hats as gifts aims to share the representative national cultural treasures of Guiyang with international friends, carrying the Guiyang people's most sincere blessings.

Ana Denissenko, a Burnaby City Hall staff member, said, "This beautiful silver hat is not only a precious artwork, but also a witness to the 10 years of friendly exchanges between Burnaby and Guiyang."

The two sides also held a meeting on Sept 19 to plan celebrations for the 10th anniversary, as they look forward to starting a new decade of friendly cooperation.

The gift is displayed in the Burnaby Cityhall. [Photo/WeChat account of Guiyang municipal foreign affairs office]

After receiving the gift, the Geumcheon district of Seoul expressed gratitude for this precious gift and presented a traditional Korean Najeon Chilgi in return as a commemoration of the 10th anniversary.

Kim Hana, a government official from Geumcheon district, said, "This gift symbolizes the essence of traditional Korean craftsmanship and expresses good wishes for friendship between the two places. We look forward to continuing friendly exchanges between the two sides."

Najeon Chilgi, a gift from Geumcheon district. [Photo/WeChat account of Guiyang municipal foreign affairs office]

The government of Hincesti city wrote a letter thanking the government of Guiyang. Botnari Alexandru, the city's mayor, wrote in the letter, "Your gesture deeply honors us and stands as a strong symbol of the close cooperation that have developed between our communities over the past decade."

The letter of appreciation from Hincesti city. [Photo/WeChat account of Guiyang municipal foreign affairs office]

Mark Chandler, trade director of the San Francisco Mayor's Office, expressed his gratitude in an email for both the gift sent by Guiyang and for being invited to participate in the "Our Common Friends" international friendship city liaison video conference in February of this year.

The silver hat presented to San Francisco. [Photo/WeChat account of Guiyang municipal foreign affairs office]

Since establishing friendship city relationships with these four cities, effective exchanges and cooperation have been carried out in various fields, including economy, trade, education, culture, and tourism.

The exchange of souvenirs and the receipt of positive feedback are vivid examples of Guiyang's deepening of international friendship city exchanges, as well as a heartwarming measure to promote mutual learning between civilizations.

These silver hats will serve as friendly cultural ambassadors, continuing to convey the blessings and open-mindedness of Guiyang among its friendship cities, and writing a new chapter for the next decade of exchanges.