Singapore

December 2017 is the date when Singapore's Consul General in Chengdu, Peng Zhiwei, arrived in Chengdu for the first time. In this vibrant city, he embarked on a journey of exploration to stimulate more cooperation potential between Singapore and Chengdu. After he was busy with work, he gradually realized why Chengdu is called the "City of Happiness".

    "Whether it is work or life, Chengdu is indeed a very livable city. I used to hear the "happiness" of Chengdu citizens, but after living and working here for more than a year, I began to truly understand this happiness. The meaning of feeling." Peng Zhiwei told the reporter of "Daily Business News" at the Singapore Consulate General in Chengdu.

    In addition to expanding the possibility of cooperation in the economic and trade field, the consul general also regarded it as his mission to promote in-depth understanding between the two places. On May 17, as one of the important sub-events of the 2019 Chengdu Panda Asian Food Festival, the Singapore Food Culture Tourism Theme Day event "Beep Singapore", the "New Time Nyonya and Old Time Alley" Cultural Festival opened at Chengdu Museum. Singapore brings its traditional Nyonya culture to the city.

"Nyonya" meets Rongcheng and the exchanges between the two places enter a new stage

    The delicate flowers bloom on the skirt, the gorgeous colors are beating on the fabric, a kabaya is used as a top, a sarong is used as a skirt, and a pair of beaded embroidered shoes, a set of Nyonya costumes that have been developed for more than 200 years and are exquisitely unveiled. On the scene, four stunning people.

    "People's lives are inseparable from clothing, food, housing, and transportation. This time I use the Nyonya Cultural Festival to hope that Chengdu people can understand the other side of Singapore. By showing traditional Nyonya clothing, we want to tell Chengdu about the amorous feelings behind these patterns, tailoring and colors; Exhibiting the collections of the Nyonya Museum, I want to share the connotation of these porcelain patterns and utensils with Chengdu." Peng Zhiwei told the reporter of "Daily Economic News".

    This year's Nyonya Culture Festival is the first time that Singapore's Nyonya culture has landed in Chengdu. Taking advantage of the 2019 Chengdu Panda Asian Food Festival to showcase the wisdom of different civilizations, Consul General Peng Zhiwei also has a more profound hope for cultural exchanges between the two places. "This time Rongcheng met Nyonya. We hope that such cultural exchanges can continue to develop in the future. We also hope that Singaporeans can experience the Hanfu culture here, try on them, and listen to the cultural stories behind them when they travel to Chengdu. "Peng Zhiwei said.

    When talking about walking into Chengdu culture, the consul general said, “Shu culture has its unique charm. Many people in Singapore learn about this culture through The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Therefore, whenever a friend comes to Chengdu from Singapore, I would recommend them to Wuhou Temple."

    In addition to the chivalry, because of its geographical location by the mountains and rivers, the Shu culture also has a freehand style and freedom. “In my spare time, my family’s favorite place to go is Qingcheng Mountain, where we will place our minds and bodies in the green hills and green fields, experience Taoist culture, and feel the happiness unique to Chengdu.” Peng Zhiwei told reporters.

    When returning to the city, this greenery is not isolated, but takes root in the city in a new form. "I think Chengdu has done a good job in greening construction. Many parks have been newly built in the high-tech zone. Driving on the highway in spring, you can find all kinds of flowers on both sides of the road." He also told reporters: "Singapore also attaches great importance to it. Urban greening, now our goal is to create a "city in the garden", bringing nature into urban life, allowing rivers to flow into residential areas, and planting greenery among high-rise buildings."

    In April, the first Park City Forum was held in Chengdu. During this period, important leaders of the Singapore Landscape Department visited the conference. Regarding the possibility of in-depth exchanges and cooperation between the two places in this field, Peng Zhiwei told reporters, "I believe in exchanges like the Park City Forum. There will be more and more opportunities in the future. We welcome experts from Chengdu to visit Singapore for exchanges. The two sides learn from each other. Such a collision will stimulate the possibility of in-depth cooperation with each other."

The economic and trade cooperation between the two places has a long history and great potential

    In addition to deepening the in-depth cultural exchanges between Singapore and Chengdu, the economic and trade cooperation between the two places has a long history. Up to now, Chengdu has registered 468 investment projects in Singapore, with actual foreign capital of 6.389 billion U.S. dollars in place. As early as 1996, Singapore and Sichuan Province also established the Singapore-Sichuan Trade and Investment Committee. Today, the annual conference is held in Singapore and Chengdu alternately.

    In 2018, the 19th meeting of the Singapore-Sichuan Trade and Investment Committee was held in Chengdu. 22 projects were signed at the meeting, involving scientific and technological innovation, smart education, transportation and logistics, medical services, exhibition and tourism and other fields. In addition, as the first large-scale enterprise cooperation project between China's inland provinces and cities and Singapore, Xinchuan Innovation and Technology Park added momentum to this meeting.

    "At last year's conference, we unveiled the Singapore Innovation Center, which is located in the Xinchuan Innovation and Technology Park. The purpose of establishing this center is to provide a platform for cooperation between Singapore and Sichuan innovative technology companies. Singapore has many small and medium-sized start-ups. Enterprises have shown strong interest in overseas development, and in Chengdu, both university resources and economic structure are quite mature. I hope that through this platform, more Singapore enterprises will know that Chengdu is a fertile place that can help them develop innovative and technological undertakings. Soil." Speaking of this project, Peng Zhiwei said confidently.

    He also revealed to reporters that Xinchuan Innovation and Technology Park is not limited to cooperation between Singapore and Sichuan companies. It welcomes outstanding technology companies from all over the world to join, and take advantage of Chengdu's booming economic vitality to help companies start their dreams.

    Nowadays, cooperation between Singapore and Chengdu and even Sichuan in the field of innovation and technology is in full swing, and traditional economic and trade exchanges are also unstoppable, and there is still vitality in the fields of medical care, logistics, and finance. In this regard, the consul general also told reporters of the "Daily Business News" about his more ambitious goals.

    “Last year, a large-scale international medical and health center built by Perennial Land Group, a well-known Singaporean company, was officially opened in the vicinity of Chengdu East Railway Station. In addition to serving Chengdu citizens, it can also help attract multinational companies to invest in Chengdu. An important step towards becoming an international medical service hub," he said.

    In order to further strengthen the cooperation between Singapore companies and Chengdu and even Sichuan companies, a new window of cooperation has been opened. "On May 9th, the Singapore Enterprise Development Board and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce formally established a Singapore Enterprise Center in Chengdu. With the support of the Singapore government, this center will assist Singaporean companies to further expand the Chinese market." Peng Zhiwei told reporters that he believes in the future There will be gratifying vitality and wisdom colliding between Singapore and Chengdu.