Sister Cities: Suzhou City, Wuzhong District, China 2000

Rotorua's Sister Cities

Rotorua has a relationship with four other cities around the world, known as our Sister Cities. The modern concept of Sister Cities or Twin Towns came about in 1947, after World War 2. According to the NZ Sister Cities website: The establishment of sister city friendships stimulates interaction between people of different cultures and countries on a people-to-people basis, ...Connecting people globally for peace and prosperity.

Rotorua's sister cities are:

1. Klamath Falls, USA
2. Beppu, Japan
3. Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia
4. Wuzhong District of Suzhou City, China

Suzhou City, Wuzhong District, China

Suzhou City, Wuzhong District, China is a major city located in the south-eastern Province of Jiangsu, by the lower Yangtze River. The city’s emphasis is on Trade and commerce. It is a prefecture-level city with a population of over 5 million and a popular tourist attraction. The city is over 2,000 years old and the centre of Wu culture. It is known for its traditional craft such as painting, calligraphy, carving and embroidery.

Talks started in 1990’s and the relationship between Rotorua City and Suzhou City, Wuzhong District, China was established on 18 February 2000. Since then, delegations of officials from both cities have visited to strengthen that relationship. With this relationship comes a better understanding of the culture of both cities.

This post was written by Ani Sharland with thanks to Rotorua Lakes Council for loaning two of the pieces photographed here. (2019, May 27).