Consular Officers in Rongchang for History, Culture, and Traditional Folk Customs of Dragon Boat Festival

Yang Yan

From June 21 to 22， the Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal Government and Rongchang District Peoples Government jointly invited consular officers and commercial representatives of eight countries in Chongqing and Chengdu to participate in the “Millennium-old Rongchang-History and Culture Week”. The event was designed to help foreign guests experience the traditional folk customs of the Dragon Boat Festival and exchange opinions on economic， trade and cultural cooperation. Gao Hongbo， Secretary of the CPC Rongchang District Committee， and Wan Rong， Mayor of Rongchang District， met with the delegation and exchanged views with consuls-general and commercial representatives on promoting exchanges and cooperation between Rongchang District and relevant countries. Li Mingquan， Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal Government， also participated in the event.

Li Mingquan said that in recent years， the Foreign Affairs Office has been committed to integrating foreign resources， giving full play to the role of foreign consulates in Chongqing and Chengdu and overseas institutions in Chongqing as bridges， promoting districts and counties in Chongqing to continuously expand their international presence and friendly exchanges and cooperation with foreign countries. It is hoped that friends from all over the world can learn more about Rongchang District and explore cooperation opportunities during their stay and further promote friendly exchanges and cooperation with the District.

The delegation visited the Planning Exhibition Hall of Rongchang High-tech Industrial Development Zone and the Belt and Road Ceramic Expo Center to learn about the industrial development in Rongchang. They watched the fashion shows at the 2023 China （Chongqing） International Fashion Week & Rongchang： Night of Intangible Cultural Heritage， to immerse themselves in the captivating Sichuan-Chongqing culture and witness the evolution of Chinas fashion scene.

“Beep...” The whistle resounded， signaling the launch of dragon boats. With fervent sounds of gongs， drums， and cheers filling the air， they surged forward with exhilarating speed， creating magnificent waves. The delegation erupted in applause， celebrating the aquatic spectacle reminiscent of Fast & Furious.

Within Huguang Guild Hall in Wanling Ancient Town， the delegation was mesmerized by the art of face-changing， part of the Sichuan Opera performance featuring resounding beats of powerful gongs and drums and sonorous vocals.

“Roll the bamboo or reed leaves， add white rice and tie a ribbon.” The delegation members learned to make zongzi with great interest from local residents， whose skills wowed these foreign guests.

During the visit， the delegation members praised Rongchangs profound history and culture， saying that it was an amazing and meaningful experience. They expressed their willingness to further strengthen communication with the district and tap into cooperation spaces in various fields.

Huub Buise， Consul-General of the Netherlands in Chongqing， said in an interview， “During this visit to Rongchang District， I felt the antique historical and cultural atmosphere， saw its important position in the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-Hub Mega-Region， and understood its economic developments and outstanding achievements in ceramics. Rongchang enjoys great investment potential and business innovation opportunities worth exploring. Rongchang ceramics has a history of thousands of years and impressive attainments. The Netherlands is the European ceramics center. We hope to learn some experience. Next， we will invite three ceramic artists from the Netherlands to Rongchang to exchange skills and build a platform with them for long-term cooperation. At the same time， we also plan to invite artists from Rongchang to the Netherlands.”

Mari Takada， Consul-General of Japan in Chongqing， said， “This is my first visit to Rongchang. I am deeply impressed by the integrated development of traditional and modern culture. Rongchang has a rich history and profound culture. We visited the Planning Exhibition Hall of Rongchang High-tech Industrial Development Zone and the Belt and Road Ceramic Expo Center. We learned about the regions industrial advancements. Of particular note were the remarkable achievements in information technology and food processing. Japan also celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival， which is on May 5 of the solar calendar， and we also eat zongzi. Japan and China are close neighbors with similar cultures. The Consulate-General of Japan in Chongqing was established in 1998， and this year marks its 25th anniversary. Japan has fostered strong economic ties with Chongqing since the 1980s. Yamaha and other manufacturing enterprises have set up factories in Chongqing. We will keep deepening our relationship and cooperation with Chongqing and Rongchang District.”

Photo/The Foreign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal Government