The Culture of
Christchurch City
Wuhan and its Special Christchurch Relationship
It would be fair to say before mid-January 2020 if you asked a New Zealander where Wuhan City was, they would struggle to answer you, they could have advised that it is somewhere in China but were not quite sure where. By 1st February of this year, most people knew precisely which province in China Wuhan City was located and its population base. By March 11th many people believe they understood the concept of and what a wet market was and how it operated.
However, very few could have told you that Christchurch City was a Friendship city of Wuhan City along with many other cities dotted around the globe.
Christchurch has had a friendship city relationship with Wuhan since April 4 2006, nurtured with the support of prominent Chinese nationals living in Christchurch and a full sister city relationship with Gansu province since 1984, the development of this relationship we owe much to the influence of Rewi Alley.
Sister City relationships often become a political football in the media, especially when Mayors and councillors are about to go visiting sister cities in the further nurturing the sister relationship with the word junket being readily applied. Often the role or value add to a delegation of a councillor has does need to be questioned and from a ratepayers lens there does need accountability, especially in the area; financial accountability and international travel. However, it must be appreciated a sister city or friendship relationships that are formed under the correct auspices take time to reap the wider community benefits.
The process of setting up a sister city relationships formally became official in 1947, after World War II, it was intended that sister cities would lead to global friendships and allied nations who could aid one another in times of crisis. Over time, though, this has extended greatly. Today, sister cities are paired to forge relationships that focus on having a stronger impact in the development of encouraging cultural understanding, friendship and exchange, as well as more practical applications, like trade agreements and business partnerships. However, it is recognised that the latter two commercial components only happen after a period of time, of continued connectivity and a high degree of trust that has been forged over the preceding years.
In the last 14 years since the establishment of the Wuhan City friendship relationship, was initiated by a group of proactive like-minded people. There have been many opportunities for enrichment to our community and value adds to the Christchurch economy, that cross the core gambit of what is a sister city or friendship relationship should achieve.
In the arena of people to people engagement here is a shortlist of examples and their outcomes.
We have the further development of the Chinese Sister Cities garden at Halswell Quarry Park. With organised community working bees on the garden, that bring a diverse network of people with a China connection or interest, from students on educational exchange, Chinese Associations and keen gardeners who enjoy the comraderies and connecting with nature and other people.
The annual lantern festivals held in February which was reported in 2019 to attract over 100,0000 people over three days, provides an opportunity for both Wuhan City and Gansu Province to supply professional participants to showcase their culture and a selection of the lanterns from our sister cities.
Christchurch City has sent swimmers since 2017 to participate in the Wuhan International Yangtze River Crossing Festival which attracts over 5000 swimmers. The annual event marks Chairman Mao Zedong’s swim across the Yangtze River – the longest river in Asia – on 16 July 1966, aged 72.
Interns from both the Foreign Affairs Office of both Wuhan City and Gansu Province, come to study at Ara and then have a subsequent internship with the Christchurch City Council International Relations office.
Both Wuhan City and Gansu Province have contributed a stunning light to the solidarity gird on Park Avenue.
In both Christchurch and Wuhan many art and culture exhibitions over the years have been hosted, that the public could view for free, as an introduction to understanding each other’s culture.
There is a large bell gifted by Wuhan City that sits in the foyer of the Christchurch City Council Building as well as more recently a large flying horse given from Gansu Province.
Wuhan City joined with the Christchurch Sister City of Seattle to donate NZ $52000 to St John to buy a vehicle in 2012.
The Riccarton Jockey Club annually holds a reciprocal race with their counterparts at Wuhan Jockey Club, this relationship has been nurtured over ten years and continues to grow in strength from you to year.
Christchurch City has also sent representatives for short term internships as part of reciprocal programmes.
Numerous books over the years that relate to Chinese customs, culture and language have been gifted to Christchurch City libraries all in the advancement of people to people diplomacy and cultural understanding.
From an education perspective, the direct linkage with the Wuhan City and its many prestigious universities provides an invaluable segway into considered educational joint ventures and student exchanges between both Canterbury University and Lincoln University. These are instrumental in both the valuable exchange of ideas and revenue source for our universities and the subsequent wider economy.
In 2019, the Christchurch sister city of Wuhan hosted the 2019 Youth Leadership Summit empowering the next generation of global citizens and leaders from the sister cities of New Zealand and Peoples’ Republic of China. This event was acknowledged as the official youth event for the year of China-New Zealand Year of Tourism programme. During the month of July youth from both China and New Zealand were involved in 4 day workshops where they worked on projects about global citizenship, social responsibility, leadership and more while in residence at St Andrew’s College.
The Confucius Institute, who are linked to a prestigious university in Wuhan City have established a base at Canterbury University. They provide learning opportunities to both primary and high schools students around the South Island in the learning Mandarin as language and understanding Chinese culture, as well as both a comprehensive university programme and evening courses.
There has been the establishment of a relationship with the Chinese Antarctic Centre of Survey and Mapping at Wuhan University, which works closely with Gateway Antarctica at Canterbury University.
The New Zealand Antarctic programme has a partnership with the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration. Also since the Antarctic programme is based in Christchurch, both the Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition and ice breaker and research ship the Xuelong use the port of Lyttelton as a staging post before heading to Antarctica for research purposes as part of the global network.
From a business perspective, there have been some notable connections; however, under business confidentially and non-disclosure clauses, they are not celebrated and acknowledge as often.
However as an example when Mayor Sir Bob Parker in 2008 led a delegation to Wuhan, he presented a large stone of pounamu mounted on a block of Totara wood as a sign of friendship to the City of Wuhan. Also at that time, Ngai Tahu Seafood flew 100 crayfish for official functions, which besides being the talking point of all meals, this gesture opened the doors for the start of what is now considered a very successful arm of Ngai Tahu Seafood’s exports into China.
One could speculate, that without a strong sister city relationship with Gansu Province and friendship city relationship Wuhan City established, that potentially the setting up of a Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China may not have happened and Dunedin with its long connection to Shanghai may have been the preferred option. Having a Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China-based in Christchurch has raised our Christchurch City’s profile and increased the opportunity for engagement streams in the areas, of education, business and investment.
The one ripple or knock-on effect of the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China Office based in Christchurch is that Chinese Airlines felt the South Island was a suitable place to fly into and Christchurch International Airport, which is 76% owned by the Christchurch City Council has dramatically benefited from Chinese carriers flying direct to Christchurch as has the wider flow-on effect.
The importance of a sister city, especially one where the contributions are made behind the scenes and are not clearly articulated to the wider public, and only too often it becomes a target at the first sign of belt-tightening call. The behind the scenes work is generally completed by a small group of volunteers working with a nominal budget, who have laid the solid foundations for the relationship over the years. Their work often marginalised because often there is no supporting data to back both the intrinsic value to the broader community and a relationships quantifiable economic value.
Also, mayors, city councillors and council employees will come and go. CEO’s of economic development agencies and their supporting department heads will move up the corporate ladder all leveraging of or riding the coat tails of the sister city relationship in the name of the greater good for the community. But in reality, it is a core group of people who are mainly volunteers which keep the flame of the relationships alive as they support people to people diplomacy, for the good of all.
Today, more than ever, the concept of sister cities is not only endearing in that it brings cities and communities together, but it stands as a bastion of hope and peace at a time we need it most.
Article by Michelle MacWilliam
Published in Palmary and Bi-Lingual Magazine April 2020
