Guangdong Special: Media group finds 'true Guangdong'

A five-day visit to Guangdong province by journalists from countries situated along the maritime Silk Road presented an open and dynamic region with both historical and modern charms.

Guangdong was an important gateway to the ancient "maritime Silk Road" starting 2,000 years ago. Now it plans to be a leading player in the modern version of the trade route.

The media trip was sponsored by the information office and foreign affairs office of the provincial government and organized by China Daily.

Chen Jianhua, mayor of the capital city Guangzhou, told the group that "the maritime Silk Road should never only be a chapter in the history book".

"More people should know it and experience it," Chen said.

The media visited Guangzhou, Dongguan and Huizhou, three showpiece cities in the province's development. Stops included historic sites as well as industrial zones and companies.

It was the first visit to China for most members of the tour. Sia Koon Siong, a journalist from Malaysia's newspaper The Star, said the visit changed his impression of the country.

"Before I came to Guangdong, I had no idea what the maritime Silk Road is. Now I've learned a lot as we went to visit the three cities and see the past and the ongoing development of the province," he said.

The most impressive part of the tour was the visit to a lakeside high-tech zone in Dongguan, said Sia.

"The zone shows a harmonious combination of ecology and industrial development," he said.

Nicholas Mark Kotch, a senior editor with South Africa's newspaper Business Day, said that the high-tech zones they had visited did a "good job".

"To develop economic zones like the Zhongkai High-Tech Zone in Huizhou, one must plan for a very long time in advance and a range of detailed work is needed," he said.

The group was also impressed by the trade development of Guangdong.

Nigus Wodajniw Mamuye, a senior editor from Ethiopia, said that Ethiopia has been an important trade partner with China for many years.

"Through this visit, I have seen a lot of cooperation projects between Africa and China. And I also saw many of my people working in Guangzhou. The visit presents a prosperous and true Guangdong to me," he said.

fuchao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/26/2014 page10)