AUSTIN, March 8 – A delegation from Chengdu, including representatives of officials from publicity Department of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee, culture and technology companies visited Austin, Texas for South by Southwest (SXSW). The visit is aimed to promote the development of Chengdu and enhance the mutually beneficial relationship between Chengdu and Austin.
South by Southwest (SXSW) is a collection of music, film and interactive conferences and festivals held annually in Austin. It kicked off on March 8, Friday, drawing more than 400,000 industries professional from more than 100 countries worldwide.
During the Chengdu Promotion event at Austin City Hall, Zhang Yingming, Deputy Director- General Publicity Department of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee, introduced the Chengdu’s development strategies and achievements in recent years. In the speech, Zhang featured Chengdu’s political, economic, social-cultural and technological advancements as one of the fastest-growing cities in China. He also highlighted the goal of “Three Cities and Three Capitals”, which contributes to the faster development of a world-famous cultural city.
“Chengdu has established the strategic goal of ‘one mountain connects two wings’ and has started the change of the millennium,” Zhang said. “Chengdu culture and economy lead China’s western region, and Chengdu is becoming a China’s new first-tier city.”
Chengdu and Austin are both members of World Cities Culture Forum and have every intention of becoming friend cities. “I’m really excited to see the size of the delegation, and it’s the first Chinese government delegation coming to Austin and SXSW,” said Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin. “The more people that are involved, the better chances we would have for this ongoing relationship, and it’s also encouraging for our future collaboration.”
After the promotion event, City of Chengdu hosted Chengdu Night – a reception presented by China Gathering@SXSW. During the event, Chengdu traditional tea ceremony and Sichuan face-changing opera have been performed, which amazed the guests by its uniqueness and stimulated their interest in learning more about Chengdu’s culture.
“They are both located in the southwest of the country, and they both center on improving the cultural environment and see innovation as the main driving force for development,” said Ambassador Li Qiangmin, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Houston. “I hope we can see more dynamic groups like the Chengdu to show their strength and potential in SXSW and work with the top institutions in the world to create a global innovation map.”
