Splendor of Yunnan in US spotlight

The hospitality and splendor of Southwest China's Yunnan province, which has extensive links with the United States, was on full display on Saturday, as thousands of US people attended a Chinese embassy open house event.

Yunnan, roughly the size of Montana in the US West, is a testimony to the mutually beneficial people-to-people exchanges and a destination that welcomes US visitors and investors, its Vice-Governor Wang Hao told the eventgoers.

At least 15,000 people entered the doors of the Chinese embassy, which joined 60 other embassies in the Around the World Embassy Tour on Saturday to welcome visitors to one of the greatest spring traditions of Washington, DC.

Themed "Yunnan: A Many-Splendored Life", the Chinese embassy open day began with a short documentary, Yunnan: A Land of Poetry and Dream, and presented songs and dance performances and intangible cultural heritage shows, in addition to tea and coffee from an area known for its breathtaking landscape and diversity of ethnic minorities.

Wang recalled that in the 1940s, members of the First American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers, fought side by side with the Chinese people in Yunnan against the fascist invasion.

Wang said Yunnan has established sister province/state connections with Delaware and Texas and has five US sister cities.

Businesswise, the official singled out Driscoll's, the Watsonville, California-headquartered producer and marketer of fresh berries, which, availing of Yunnan's "good climatic conditions", has strengthened its presence over the past decade and helped local farmers to increase their incomes, thus contributing to poverty reduction in the province.

"We are here, together with our artists, to extend our invitation to you. We look forward to your visit to Yunnan, to experience the many-splendored life there and to realize your business dreams," Wang said.

Tourism already staged a robust rebound in Yunnan during the five-day May Day holiday last week, when it received a record 35 million tourists, according to sources from the Kunming branch of the China Tourism Academy.

China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was Beijing's top envoy in Washington until January, also said that in China, Yunnan is famous for its diverse beauty, and in China-US relations, the province is a witness to the friendly bond between the two peoples.

"I was personally involved in one touching story of such bond," Qin said in a congratulatory letter, recalling the efforts of a US couple, John Flower and Pamela Leonard, who have shipped the materials of a dismantled village house in Yunnan to be rebuilt by the Shenandoah River in Jefferson County, West Virginia.

"I visited the site when the house was under construction and was proud to be one of its builders. Today, the folk house has become a window for the American people to know more about Yunnan province and China as a whole," Qin said, referring to his trip late last June.

Doors wide open

The top diplomat said that across the Pacific Ocean, China keeps its doors open to the world, and as the country continues to develop, it will provide greater opportunities to the world.

A US visitor, who identified himself only as Ross, said he had traveled to China once and was fascinated by the country.

"I love seeing what all you have here. It's such a large, diverse country, beautiful landscapes and foods," he said.

Xu Xueyuan, charge d'affaires of the embassy, said that in addition to its cultural diversity and serving as a gateway for the opening-up of Southwest China, Yunnan is "a kingdom of fauna and flora", where people lead vibrant, dynamic lives in areas ranging from modern cities like Kunming to scenic attractions such as Xishangbanna.

The Around the World Embassy Tour is an event of the Passport DC program held by Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for Washington, DC. It features embassy open houses, street festivals, performances, exhibitions and workshops.

It was the third time that the Chinese embassy has participated in the program.