On October 26, Xiangjiang River in Dialogue with the Seine—2026 European Chinese-language Media Changsha Tour was launched in Changsha, Hunan. During the event, representatives from 13 Chinese-language media outlets in 11 European countries, including Germany, Russia, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Romania, will experience firsthand the synergy between China and Europe in economic, trade, cultural, and tourism development through on-site visits in Changsha.

On October 26, Xiangjiang River in Dialogue with the Seine—2026 European Chinese-language Media Changsha Tour is launched in Changsha, Hunan. The photo shows the flag presentation ceremony. (Photo/Yang Huafeng, Chinanews)

As an important node city of the Belt and Road Initiative and a central city in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Changsha boasts a well-developed industrial sector. It has cultivated seven industrial clusters—each with an annual output value exceeding 100 billion yuan—including automotive and auto parts, electronic information, and new materials, as well as three national advanced manufacturing clusters: construction machinery, next-generation independent and secure computing systems, and ultra-high-voltage power transmission and transformation equipment. Changsha has also achieved world-class scientific achievements in super hybrid rice, supercomputers, and new carbon/carbon composite materials. The number of Fortune Global 500 companies investing in Changsha has surpassed 200. The China-Europe (Changsha) freight train service has maintained an annual volume of 1,000 trips for five consecutive years, connecting more than 100 cities across 30 countries in Asia and Europe. It consistently ranks among the top nationwide and has become a vital logistics channel for China-Europe economic and trade exchanges.

Although Changsha and Europe are separated by mountains and seas, their "dialogue" has been going on for ages. A thousand years ago, porcelain from the Tongguan Kiln in Changsha set out from the Xiangjiang River and made its way to Europe along the Maritime Silk Road. A century ago, a group of young Hunanese went to France for the work-study movement, leaving a mark of China-France exchanges in Montargis. Today, Changsha's construction machinery, automobiles and auto parts, and electronic products enter the European market via the China-Europe freight train service, while European companies such as Bosch, Schaeffler, and BASF continue to expand their operations in Changsha, forging ever-closer ties between the two regions.

On October 26, Xiangjiang River in Dialogue with the Seine—2026 European Chinese-language Media Changsha Tour is launched in Changsha, Hunan. The photo shows Zhao Xuefeng, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Changsha Municipal Committee, addressing the launch ceremony. (Photo/Yang Huafeng, Chinanews)

Zhao Xuefeng, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Changsha Municipal Committee, delivered a speech at the launch ceremony and presented the flag to the interview delegation. He noted that European Chinese-language media serve as an important bridge connecting Chinese and European cultures and information. He expressed the hope that through the "Xiangjiang River in Dialogue with the Seine" brand, mechanisms for dialogue, exchange, and co-creation will continue to be strengthened. By leveraging the role of European Chinese-language media as a bridge, he said, more room will be created for deeper cooperation between Changsha and Europe, allowing Changsha's stories to reach wider audiences and shine in Europe.

On October 26, Xiangjiang River in Dialogue with the Seine—2026 European Chinese-language Media Changsha Tour is launched in Changsha, Hunan. The photo shows Zhao Qiang, head of the Hunan Branch of China News Service, delivering a speech. (Photo/Yang Huafeng, Chinanews)

Zhao Qiang, head of the Hunan Branch of China News Service, noted that "Walking in China" is a signature event of China News Service, and the 2026 European Chinese-language Media Changsha Tour represents a continuation and deepening of that initiative in Changsha. He expressed the hope that representatives of Chinese-language media will draw on their unique cross-cultural perspectives to transform the authentic scenes they witness in Changsha into compelling stories that European audiences will be eager to open, read through, and share.

During the event, representatives from European Chinese-language media outlets will visit Changsha's cultural tourism sites, industrial frontlines, and open channels, including Tank Changsha (1936), Orange Isle, Zoomlion, Sinocare, Daze Lake Overseas Returnee Town, the container consolidation base of Hunan Central South China International Land Port Group, and the low-altitude economy research and development headquarters of China (Hunan) Free Trade Zone Changsha Area Airport Block. The initiative aims to gain an in-depth understanding of and experience the highlights and achievements of Changsha's economic and trade cooperation with Europe, and to work together to vividly share Changsha's stories with the world.

On October 26, the Changsha International Communication Center signs the "Changsha Stories, International Co-creation" strategic cooperation framework agreement with European Chinese-language media and takes a group photo. (Photo/Yang Huafeng, China News Service)

Through this event, the Changsha International Communication Center also signed the "Changsha Stories, International Co-creation" strategic cooperation framework agreement with European Chinese-language media. Through cooperation in in-depth content co-creation, the establishment of efficient platforms, the sharing of mutually beneficial outcomes, regular personnel exchanges, and the joint advancement of professional capabilities, the two sides aim to build a forward-looking strategic partnership and comprehensively enhance Changsha's international image as a "City of Media Arts in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network" and a "Global R&D Center City."

This event was hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Changsha Municipal Committee and the Hunan Branch of China News Service, and organized by the Changsha International Communication Center and the Hunan Branch of China News Service (Beijing) International Communication Group Co., Ltd.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn. 

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Chinanews