Starting from May 30, the Finance and People’s Livelihood Department of the Municipal News and Media Center, in collaboration with the Jinhua Evening News, launched the report series titled “Understanding Jinhua with 26 Letters.” This captivating series aims to showcase the significant transformations in Jinhua by carefully selecting 26 letters. Today, the focus is on the letter F - Friendly. Stay tuned for this exciting publication.

Inspiring Interviews on Chinese Stories

Jaleh Hesari, a young woman born in the 1990s, works as a journalist for the Mauritius National Television. Recently, she was invited to participate in a seminar titled “Chinese style Modernization and African Development.”

Starting from May 20, she spent 12 days in Jinhua, accompanied by experts and scholars from 29 African countries. Together, they explored rural areas, visited businesses, and observed local markets to gain a first-hand experience of Jinhua’s approach to modernization. Throughout her journey, she gathered a lot of news materials.

“We can’t help but be deeply impressed by Jinhua. Our impressions of this city are overwhelmingly positive,” she said. She believes that the people are the city’s most valuable assets and vibrant ambassadors.

Three Foreign-Owned Restaurants

At around 8:30 p.m., the Arab restaurant Royal Lounge, located at the north gate of Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU) in Gaocun, was fully booked. The restaurant attracted both Chinese young people and a diverse mix of nationalities. Managed by Yemeni student Mu Feng, it became a popular gathering spot for international students. Interestingly, Gaocun has three similar foreign-owned establishments. Mu Feng opened his restaurant to support his living expenses, but he was surprised by its quick rise to fame. He explained, “In Jinhua, where there is a significant presence of foreigners, Arab restaurants are highly sought after.”

A Second Home for Foreign Friends

To Jinhua, Lena from Azerbaijan and Enron from Mexico can be considered newcomers.

Lena, a member of the Azerbaijani national gymnastics team, came to ZJNU last year to pursue a postgraduate degree in social work. After completing a year of studies, she applied for an additional year of Chinese language courses.

An Ran, a 21-year-old who received the Confucius Institute Scholarship, met the application criteria for two universities: ZJNU and Fudan University. Instead of searching for information about the schools, she immediately looked up ‘Shanghai’ and ‘Jinhua.’ An Ran was attracted by a sentence she read online: “Jinhua is a livable city and one of the Chinese cities with the best water and air quality.” This led her to quickly make the decision to come to Jinhua.

Foreign friends may have different definitions of friendship, but Jinhua’s inherent humanistic values and its open and inclusive cultural traditions create a warm and comforting experience for every visitor. Despite the passing years, Jinhua maintains its unique temperament amidst development, exuding a positive, peaceful, and captivating atmosphere that distinguishes it from other cities. (Text by Wang Lei, photo by Huang Zezhen)