STORY: Tracing Belt and Road stories in Quanzhou
DATELINE: Oct. 7, 2023
LENGTH: 00:05:38
LOCATION: QUANZHOU, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Quanzhou, east China's Fujian Province
2. STANDUP 1 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
3. STANDUP 2 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
4. STANDUP 3 (Chinese): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
5. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): GUO ZENGPEI, Head of protection and management station of Liusheng Pagoda, Quanzhou City
6. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WU QIUWEN, Deputy Head of Publicity, Quanzhou Maritime Museum
7. STANDUP 4 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
8. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHUANG SHAOGONG, Deputy Director of Quanzhou Customs
9. STANDUP 5 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
10. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): LEI BINHUAI, Manager of Digital System R&D Institute of Jomoo Group
11. STANDUP 6 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
12. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): ZHENG PENGFEI, General manager of Fujian Quanzhou Shunmei Group Co., Ltd.
13. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): HANY SOBHY MAKARY GUIRGUIS HANNA, China Shishi Xinci Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
14. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): MEHMET KIZGIN, Quanzhou Marmara Import & Export Co., Ltd.
15. STANDUP 7 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent

STORYLINE:

Nearly 700 years ago, famous world traveler and writer Marco Polo wrote in his travelogue about the prosperity of Quanzhou, the largest port in the East around the 10th to the 14th century.

STANDUP 1 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
"Quanzhou is known as the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage City. What's it like today for this once-thriving port? And under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), what does the future hold for the city? Following Marco Polo's footsteps, I have come to Quanzhou to find out."

Tracing Belt and Road stories in Quanzhou

STANDUP 2 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
"When Marco Polo arrived in Quanzhou, Liusheng Pagoda welcomed his arrival.
It is a landmark that merchant ships from foreign lands looked for to guide them safely into the "largest port in the East." It is also known as the "first beacon" of the ancient Maritime Silk Road."

STANDUP 3 (Chinese): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
"Why do people call Liusheng Pagoda the "first beacon" of the ancient Maritime Silk Road?"

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): GUO ZENGPEI, Head of protection and management station of Liusheng Pagoda, Quanzhou City
"It's mainly because of its unique geographical location. Liusheng Pagoda is located right at the estuary of Quanzhou Bay. In ancient times, it was the first beacon tower for all outbound ships. And when the inbound ships were about to reach Quanzhou, it's also the last beacon tower they could see."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WU QIUWEN, Deputy Head of Publicity, Quanzhou Maritime Museum
"In the history of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, Quanzhou can be considered a historical exemplar. In Marco Polo's travelogue, he called Quanzhou a major port in the East. He believed that if one pepper-loaded ship arrived at Alexandria Port (in Egypt), at least 100 such ships would have anchored in Zayton (the ancient name of Quanzhou), with enormous throughput of trade."

STANDUP 4 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
"Trading took center stage in the past and present of Quanzhou. This is the relic site of the first Shibosi (customs house) in Fujian, an official customs house that was set up in 1087. And by this year, Quanzhou has opened 18 BRI sea routes. So my next stop is a place that Marco Polo didn't have the chance to visit, the modern-day Quanzhou Port."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHUANG SHAOGONG, Deputy Director of Quanzhou Customs
"In 2022, Quanzhou's import and export volume with BRI partner countries reached 148 billion yuan (about 20 billion USD) in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 14.2%, accounting for 54.86% of Quanzhou's total foreign trade value.
According to the report delivered to the 20th CPC National Congress (in 2022), the country will promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. The Quanzhou customs has a history of over 1,000 years. We aim to promote the high-level opening of the Quanzhou Port by continuously strengthening supervision and optimizing services, and help Quanzhou further expand trade with BRI partner countries."

STANDUP 5 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
"Today's Quanzhou is an important gateway city of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative. And, a manufacturing powerhouse. Textiles, clothing, footwear, food, building materials, etc. It boasts nine industrial clusters worth a staggering 100 billion yuan (14.1 billion USD) each."

Jomoo is a leading bathroom fittings firm headquartered in Quanzhou.

Guided by the notion of "high-quality development," it has integrated new technologies to produce smart toilets in an environmentally friendly way.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): LEI BINHUAI, Manager of Digital System R&D Institute of Jomoo Group
"Compared with traditional production lines, our smart plant increased production efficiency by more than 35%. On average, we can churn out a smart toilet in 6 seconds. Our products are also exported to other parts of the world, including many BRI partner countries."

STANDUP 6 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
"Have you ever seen flowers made of porcelain? Very unique, right? These beautiful porcelain flowers made in Dehua County, Quanzhou City are now very popular among countries along the BRI."

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): ZHENG PENGFEI, General manager of Fujian Quanzhou Shunmei Group Co., Ltd.
"Under the Belt and Road Initiative, many of our (porcelain) products are sold to many BRI partner countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Greece and Bahrain. And through the Belt and Road Initiative, cultural elements are embedded in the porcelain. Now, we're not just making porcelain; in fact, we're also promoting cultural exchanges. We use porcelain, or high-quality porcelain products, as a medium to make more friends."

Today, as Quanzhou aspires to be a hub of global commerce, many foreigners have spotted business opportunities here.

Egyptian businessman Hany came to Quanzhou in 2015 and has been exporting Chinese products to Arab countries for years.

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): HANY SOBHY MAKARY GUIRGUIS HANNA, China Shishi Xinci Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
"We are based in Quanzhou and we see vast business potential in China. We have engaged in trading cooperation with over 15 countries, with most of them BRI countries. One of the goals of the BRI is to achieve 'high standard.' We have added more high-end products into our export. The BRI helps with our market expansion and investment, building a stronger connection between China and Egypt."

Mehmet Kizgin is a Turkish businessman who first came to China in 2013.

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): MEHMET KIZGIN, Quanzhou Marmara Import & Export Co., Ltd.
"I started this company in 2018. We mainly import uncut marbles from Türkiye and process them here. After the Belt and Road Initiative was launched, China has undergone significant changes in terms of high-quality products. China has been developing rapidly, with a huge demand and vast opportunities."

STANDUP 7 (English): HUANG AIPING, Xinhua correspondent
"Belt and Road cooperation is by no means a solo of China, but a symphony performed by all partners. And this is clearly the case in Quanzhou."

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the inception of the BRI. Looking ahead, Quanzhou is not only expected to expand its foreign trade, but also take on a bigger role in achieving high-quality progress under the BRI.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Quanzhou, China.
(XHTV)