Xiangcheng District, Suzhou, China

Xiangcheng embodies the beauty of Suzhou, the Venice of Orient. While Suzhou is the water town of the world, Xiangcheng is the shining water district. It is well known for manufacturing 90% of the world's violin strings and housing China's 2nd largest pearl and furniture market. Additionally, Xiangcheng's copper and clay supplied the imperial  palace in Beijing with bricks and incense pots. With a population of 720,000, its new industrial and technology development zone along with its convenient transportation grid position Xiangcheng as the new gateway of Suzhou.



Recanati, Italy

Recanati is a town Marche region of Italy. It was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. It is the hometown of the tenor Beniamino Gigli and the famous poet Giacomo Leopardi, which is why the town is known to some as "the city of poetry". It is also the birth place of the ancestor of football star Lionel Messi. Although small, Recanati not only enjoys spectacular view of Le Marche, but also boasts some of the largest companies in the world, e.g., lighting  company IGuzzini, and toy manufacturer Clementoni. The city is also famous for its jewelry, silver art,  and musical instrument - accordion.  Population 21,000.

Story of Friendship

We strongly believe that friendship cities is only meaningful if they serve the people, and only those passionate will deliver results.  We are selective with the matching process. When Recanati and Xiangcheng both came to us with the interest of partnership, we compared the cities carefully and found some very interesting similarities and potential such as their heritage in music.  After one year of hard work on the both sides,   we matched our 2nd city  "marriage."   They have began collaboration in sport and education areas since 2017 and continue to grow together.

Our reflection is that those who involve in this project must have a long-term vision and be patient to see results. It can not be rushed, but the impact can be long-lasting if we do it right and well.