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The replica of the Swedish merchant ship Gotheborg arrives Nansha harbour in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province July 18, 2006. (photo: newsgd.com)

The replica of the Swedish merchant ship Gotheborg arrives in Guangzhou Nansha harbour today (July 18), which symbolizes a closer tie between China and Sweden.

The Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and the Queen Silvia of Sweden are on board to witness this historical moment. And Tang Bingquan, Executive Vice-Governor of Guangdong Province and Zhang Guangning, Mayor of Guanghzou, together with hundreds Guangzhou citizens warmly welcome the Swedish guests.

The Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and the Queen Silvia of Sweden arrives in Guangzhou Nansha harbour on July 18.  (photo: newsgd.com)

The Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf says in the Welcome Ceremony that the ship is a symbol of the friendship between China and Sweden. And he hopes the two nations will further strengthen ties in areas of culture, economic, trade and tourism.
 
The King and Queen of Sweden attend a Unveiling Ceremony of Gotheborg's visit to Guangzhou Memorial Monument at 3:00 p.m., and enjoy a show of Guangzhou folk custom and traditional departure ceremony of Huangpu Old Port which express Guangzhou hospitality and historical culture.

Sacrifice Ceremony to Sea God

And later, the Swedish King and Queen visit Nanhai God Temple, the starting point if "Maritime Silk Road", and they also witness a Sacrifice Ceremony to Sea God, which wishes the plain sailing of Gotheborg.

The ship Goteborg will be staying in Guangzhou a month-long from July 18 to August 19, 2006, a series of activities will be held that cover areas of culture, economic, trade and tourism.

Background:

On October 2, 2005, the replica of the Swedish sailing ship Gotheborg set sail from Gothenburg in Sweden. The vessel is heading towards China by retracing the 18th Century Maritime Silk Route.

Construction of the replica of the Gotheborg, a symbol of Sino-Swedish friendship, took ten years to complete and cost 350 million Swedish crowns. The vessel's hull was hand-built from century-old timber. To date, the voyage has taken the Gotheborg from Sweden to Spain, across the Atlantic to Brazil then to South Africa, Australia and Indonesia.

Editor: Yan