By Xinyi Li, Yiling Wang iChongqing News

Chongqing- On March 21, the opening ceremony of Minsk Tourism and Cultural Carnival kicked off at Guotai Art Center. Additionally, the governor of Minsk Oblast and Belarusian Ambassador to China took part in. The Deputy Mayor of Chongqing, Pan Yiqin expressed a warm welcome to the guests and stressed that deeper and closer cooperation between Chongqing and Belarus both in government and among the people would be benefits for both cities. 

The photography exhibition

There are a series of activities during the carnival, which will strengthen the cooperation between Chongqing and Minsk. A photography exhibition presenting tourism and cultural resources of the two cities attracted the visitors. Additionally, there were craftsmen from Minsk doing handworks at that night. In addition to those things, artists from both Chongqing and Minsk gave incredible performances on the opening ceremony.

Craftspeople from Minsk were doing handwork at the site

Friendship with Belarus

Belarus is an important country at the “One Belt One Road”. In the meanwhile, Chongqing and Belarus became the sister city last March. Both sides conduct more effective exchanges and cooperation for the past few years.

In 2018, the Year of Tourism Between China and Belarus kicked off in Chongqing. The delegation of Chongqing had visited Belarus for cultural and tourism cooperation. Afterward, Chongqing set up “the Window of Chongqing” at the Pushkin Library Minsk. It is an effective way for Belarusian people to know about Chongqing.

There was a live performance at the opening ceremony

In addition, Chongqing invited Belarusian delegation to take part in the Chongqing Global Travel Agents Conference in 2018. In the meanwhile, the city proposed an art exhibition, inviting famous artists from Belarus to do sketching in Chongqing.

At the same time, the Belarusian Ambassador to China held the Belarusian Cultural Festival and Belarusian Tourism Promotion in Chongqing. It also kicked off the Tourism and Cultural Carnival for Chongqing in Minsk Oblast.

The concert of the opening ceremony

As a result of deep exchange and cooperation, there is cultural and tourism promotion center in both cities. Therefore, it is convenient for citizens in Chongqing to purchase milk-sugar and chocolate and so on from Belarus, at Hengda Zhongyu Square in Yubei District.