The Chinese city of Changsha has strengthened its links with Bristol by signing a new partnership declaration and co-sponsoring the city’s iconic Balloon Fiesta for the first time.
A delegation of ministers from Changsha, the capital of central China’s Hunan province, travelled to Bristol for the signing ceremony last weekend. 
They then attend the fiesta’s traditional nightglow, in which Changsha’s new hot air balloon – recently made in Bedminster by specialist manufacturer Cameron – took part.
The partnership between the two cities began just over five years ago with a cultural exchange. Both are important media centres and score highly for their quality of life.
In May this year a delegation from Bristol’s destination marketing organisation Visit West visited Changsha to strengthen the connections further.
Visit West managing director Kathryn Davis, who was among the delegation to Changsha, signed the new declaration with Yi Ying, director of Changsha Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio and Television at Bristol’s M Shed museum, pictured.
Zhang Li, director of China’s National Tourism Office, said the two cities had developed a meaningful connection over the past five years. 
“These two cities’ growing relationship is about more than just financial success,” he added. “Tourism and cultural exchanges foster mutual understanding.”
Li Liyan, minister counsellor for cultural affairs at the Chinese Embassy in the UK, said tourism in Changsha had recovered rapidly since the pandemic, with 380,000 visitors from the UK this year.
Saturday’s signing ceremony was organised by Bristol-based marketing and consultancy agency Make It China, which represent quality Chinese brands on the world stage and works with British and European companies on cooperation with China.
Make It CEO China Dennis Hu, who is also cultural and tourism director of the Bristol and West of England China Bureau, said Changsha had decided that the best way to present itself to the world was “via the balloon fiesta”.
Changsha, which has a history dating back to the Zhou dynasty between 1046 and 256 BC, is today home to more than 10m people.
Bristol also has a long twinning relationship with the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province and the country’s third largest conurbation.
