“Guangzhou attracted thousands of foreigners for trade and started to do international trade with other countries since very early times in history,”William N. Brown, professor at the School of Management of Xiamen University, shared his insights of the Maritime Silk Road as well as the cities of Gunagzhou and Quanzhou with GDToday on Thurday. He expressed that against the background that some foreighners have the idea that China has throughout history been blocked off in the world, “we need to do better job of telling China has 4000 years ’history in foreign trade.”

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On December 2, Guangzhou and Quanzhou signed a cooperation agreement to promote the cultural development of these two cities during a forum of 2021 Understanding China Conference, in a bid to help the two cities along Maritime Silk Road seek continuous booming of cultural development and advance more cooperation on city promotions, film and TV industry as well as culture and tourism industry.

Du Xinshan, Director of the Publicity Department of CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee, highlighted that Guangzhou is widely known as a city of happiness. With the hosting of Understanding China Conference, holding the Canton Fair, the Guangzhou Cultural Industry Fair and other big events, Guangzhou has been participating the development of the “Belt and the Road” in an effort to impart and inherit its history and culture.

Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness

Having been to Guangzhou for almost 20 times and living in Fujian for 33 years or so, William N. Brown, gets his own ideas on how to read and understand China. “Personally, I like to see things by myself, instead of only relying on western media. When I first came to China, I was nervous because the western media has been depicting China to be so dark. But when I got here, I found out that people were very positive and China was not like what I thought. Then I started writing about Chinese people in Xiamen and Quanzhou, because I thought if we can help foreigners understand Chinese people, they will understand China. So, to me, I like the old saying ‘Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness’. When you complain about the darkness, it doesn't help, but when you light one candle, that helps,” said William.

Guangzhou was an important route to the South China Sea in the well-known Guangzhou Tonghai Yidao(the early Maritime Silk Road) back to the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Located in the southeast shores of Fujian province, Quanzhou is an historical city and was the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road in ancient time.

Nowadays, both of these two cities are important routes along the 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road and share huge potential in economic and cultural collaboration.

Reporter: Rofel

Editor: Keane, Jerry