HANGZHOU AND ITS SISTER CITIES
Since its entrance to the international world in September 2013, China’s Belt and
Road Initiative has seen a handful of progress; not only under its pillars of infrastructure
connectivity and trade facilitation but also in terms of policy communication and
people-to-people ties. As of June 2021, 205 documents relating to BRI have been signed
with 140 countries and 31 international organizations. Meanwhile, at the subnational
level, provincial and municipal governments actively engage in economic and cultural
exchanges, regions appealing towards one another on the basis of common
development goals.
One of the subnational forms of BRI cooperation presently encouraged by China is
City-to-City (C2C) Cooperation, which covers all possible manners of relationships
between local stakeholders at any level between countries. Among the various forms it
can take, bilateral C2C has especially been celebrated as a promising policy instrument
for promoting sustainability governance, an approach we find in the Belt and Road
Initiative project through the Hangzhou Sister Cities.
Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province and the hub for economy, culture,
science, and education. Endowed with rich historical and cultural heritages, Hangzhou is
known as one of the seven ancient capital cities in China and played a significant role in
the development of the ancient Silk Road. Hangzhou’s strategic location on the East
China Sea made it a natural center of trade. With access to the maritime trading routes,
Hangzhou was able to export goods such as rice, porcelain, silk, iron, gunpowder, and
paper from the city and surrounding area to points on the Silk Road and other, farther
trade partners via maritime trading networks across the Indian Ocean.
Hangzhou’s historical and cultural significance makes it a prominent candidate for
C2C Cooperation, as culture is one of the most pervasive sectors of urban life and this
allows cooperation to achieve its mission more effectively. Nations may have separate
and even conflicting interests, but this does not necessarily hold true for actors at the
lower level, which consist of various local institutions and communities. C2C allows for
easier project replications between cities through increased participation of local actors,
as well as collective action facilitated by institutions and communities of common
interests. The pervasive character of culture in everyday life renders them as potent
tools to raise community awareness towards key local development issues, with
extensive campaigns that could reach out to different target groups; a truly valuable asset especially to promote City-to-City Cooperation in an expansive developing region
with diverse national identities.
HISTORY OF THE SILK ROAD
The Belt and Road Initiative covers vast expanses of land and sea territories: the
land “belt” runs from China through South and Central Asia into Europe, while the
maritime “road” connects coastal Chinese cities with Africa and the Mediterranean.
Without a sense of common identity to bind them, it is difficult to imagine how various
countries, each with their values and interests, could come together for cooperation. Yet
according to Constructivism in international relations theory, relations between
countries are shaped not simply by material factors, but also by ideational factors that
are historically and socially constructed. These ideational factors are largely affected by
cultural perspectives between cities and countries, which formation could only be
understood by studying their historical background.
With a history of more than 2,000 years, the Silk Route in China can be dated back
to the Han dynasty (207 BCE – 220 CE) in ancient China, where ambassador Zhang Qian
brought treasures from China such as exquisite silk to be presented to rulers in the
western regions as a gift of goodwill. In the following years in history, many great figures
had contributed to the development of the Silk Road, including Alexander the Great,
extending the network until it finally reached its peak during the time of the Byzantine
Empire in the west. The Silk Road’s extensive reach was an important variable in the
development of the civilizations of China, Korea, Japan, India, Persia, Europe, the Horn
of Africa, and Arabia, opening long-distance political and economic relations between
the different civilizations.
On the other side, the Maritime Silk Road is most often associated with the history
of Admiral Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty who conducted seven great naval expeditions
between 1405 and 1433 to establish diplomatic relations and encourage tribute and
trade with states in South-East Asia, around the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and the
Red Sea. Zheng He’s ships carried Chinese treasures such as silks, porcelains, and other
precious gifts to trade for exotic products of the Indian Ocean. The presence of the
powerful Ming navy led to the emergence of state-directed commercial activity in the
maritime world that extended from Ming China to the Swahili coast of Africa,
stimulating the movement of people and goods across the Maritime Silk Road and
paving the way for a new global market. All in all, the ancient Maritime Silk Road
presented a rich and varied cornucopia of goods and experiences, attracting the
movement of peoples and creating a unique multi-cultural mix for hundreds of years
and allowing for countries in the Indian Ocean, South-East Asia, China, and the Far East
regions to thrive.
THE SILK ROAD HERITAGE
Both the Land and Maritime Silk Road contributed greatly towards the
development of civilization within the region, leaving cultural trails of urban life in cities
across the region as well as a grand narrative of progress and connectivity between
strategic places which could transcend even national interest. This narrative is reflected
through the architecture, art, and cuisines developed in particular cities and regions
affected by the ancient travelers’ route; precious cultural heritages that are often
considered as gateways to tourism resources. Stories of Zheng He’s Voyages, for
example, became widely celebrated today as the symbol of peaceful envoys in both
China and countries along the Maritime Silk Road. Museums and artifacts appear
around the region as a reminder of the great period of exploration, cartography, and
navigation, as well as the influences they left behind.
The impact of the ancient Silk Road, however, is not only a matter of historical
narrative as it also affected the diverse backgrounds of people living in the region today.
One prominent example of this cultural assimilation could be seen in the Chinese
Diaspora phenomenon brought about by Chinese emigration towards cities throughout
the Maritime Silk Road as people followed the trade routes and developed business in
their new destinations. The first major wave of Chinese emigration began in the late
15th century, as trade with South-East Asia expanded. The Chinese settled in lands to
the south: Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, the Malay Archipelago, and Thailand.
When the state relaxed restrictions on travel in the mid-18th century, a second wave of
emigration created large Chinese towns all over South-East Asia. During the next
hundred years, a million people left southern China, mostly heading for places that
already had Chinese settlements. Cultural assimilation easily took place between these
settlements and their surrounding areas. Intermarriage became a common practice and
often led to a rich cultural mix, as can still be seen in Malacca and Penang.
Today an estimated 40 million people of Chinese descent live outside China and
form vibrant business communities, yet their ancestral ties left a cultural heritage
similarly pertained in their land of origin as well as strong social and trade networks.
The presence of local actors in the city with similar areas of interest with stakeholders
abroad paved the way for cultural diplomacy and generated potential advocates for
particular goals of City-to-City Cooperation. So where the historical narrative of the Silk
Road provides cooperation grounds by the approach of idealism, its cultural and
demographic heritage within communities in different countries encourage local
cooperation by appealing through specific cultural identity and interests.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR?
Supported by a strong historical narrative and a robust cultural and demographic
heritage, it is easy to realize the potential for City-to-City Cooperation in the BRI region
and expect such advances to be implemented between Hangzhou’s Sister Cities.
However, a glance at historical precedence reveals that there have not been many
strong and purposeful strategies applied through these instruments on behalf of the
Belt and Road project. Take for example the interactions between Hangzhou and its sister cities in Asia,
where the effects of the Chinese Diaspora is most prominent. Since 1979 to this day,
Hangzhou has developed relations with seven sister cities in Asia, namely Gifu, Fukui,
and Hamamatsu in Japan, Yeosu and Seogwipo in South Korea, Baguio in the
Philippines, as well as Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia. However, there has been minimal
media coverage on activities between these cities and Hangzhou, especially in terms of
development cooperation. Accounts of cooperation have mainly revolved around
diplomatic visits, emergency aids, and exchanges in education, culture, and other areas,
yet the outcome from these activities are only disclosed to society in vague general
assessments and leave ambiguous results in terms of development progress.
Activities between the cities have also in large taken a general and multilateral
approach, often in the forms of conferences and seminars, such as the Hangzhou
International Sister City Mayors Conference in October 2017, where mayors from
around the world held insightful discussions on urban development and cooperation
based on the concepts of innovation, harmony, sustainability, and sharing. On the other
hand, the BRI Initiative also has its local cooperation network through the Belt and Road
Local Cooperation (BRLC), which is committed to integrating the Belt and Road Initiative
into exchange and cooperation among local governments with various practical
exchanges and cooperative programs and activities. However, BRLC activities thus far
appear to be centralized and provide only knowledge assistance for economic
development, such as in the forms of E-Commerce training and workshops.
Therefore, Hangzhou’s efforts in consolidating C2C Cooperation with its BRI sister
cities are roughly deemed insufficient, as they appear to be either too fragmented in
their cultural approach or too centralized in a way that does not directly address their
Silk Road heritage.
This contrasts, for example, with the approach used by the European Union’s
International Urban Cooperation (IUC) program, which is a long-term strategy to foster
sustainable urban development in cooperation with both the public and private sectors,
as well as representatives of academicians, community groups and citizens. As part of a
region sharing a common history of World Wars and their aftermath, European
countries are highly attuned to the need for sustainable development. It is through this
spirit that many local actors are persuaded to contribute to sustainable development
studies. IUC offers cities the opportunity to share and exchange knowledge with their
international counterparts in C2C Cooperation initiatives, building a greener, more
prosperous future. IUC activities also directly support the achievement of global
development goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals, thus results of each cooperation project between cities could be effectively measured and transparently
publicized to the public audience.
All in all, the IUC through over 81 city pairings has worked on a variety of themes
and contributed significantly to the Sustainable Development Goals. This is possible not
only by appealing towards the construct of collective identity and interest through the
European Union but also by establishing the urgency of building upon this heritage by
encouraging all elements of urban society to partake in the process of advancing their
history. Ultimately, the achievements of the IUC could only be made possible through
the engagement of multiple local stakeholders within cities, supporting the formulation
as well as the implementation of each development plan.
In comparison, despite having displayed similar awareness towards the
significance of local involvement, the BRI seems to be struggling to establish such
ventures between Hangzhou sister cities in an organized manner. A key challenge
frequently observed here is the linguistic barrier to communication with local actors,
which becomes a much larger threat due to the diverse ethnicity and languages within
the BRI region. Furthermore, the BRI region is not well-supported by any integrated
institutional infrastructure, such as the European Union, to support such initiatives. This
leaves another need for strategy in cooperation.
CONCLUSION: WHAT NEXT?
We have seen that City-to-City Cooperation provides an innovative approach
towards development by allowing higher engagement with local actors, cultures, and
characteristics and that it is especially effective when supported by a strong historical
narrative and a robust cultural and demographic heritage. The Belt and Road region is
thus well-suited for City-to-City Cooperation as it stands upon an over 2,000 years old
historical narrative of the ancient Silk Road which contributed greatly towards the
development of various cities and civilizations across the region and left behind trails of
both cultural and demographic heritage in its wake through the movement of people,
such as one we see with the Chinese Diaspora.
China has understood this potential and established City-to-City Cooperation
initiatives in the form of Hangzhou sister cities, yet their activities still appear to be
either too fragmented in cultural diplomacy or too centralized in a way that does not
directly address their Silk Road heritage. Efforts at furthering relations are also generally
concentrated only between stakeholders of political and economic influence. There is
minimal media coverage on cooperation progress and achievements, which reflects
poorly or none at all in the eyes of the general society. Not to mention, communication
between stakeholders of the BRI region has always been a challenge due to the diverse
native languages within the region; a problem that is exacerbated by the absence of a
dominant international institution to coordinate between stakeholders across the
region and provide a common information platform, such as one we see in the case of Europe’s International Urban Cooperation under the European Union. Lack of
substantial news to the people could cause interactions between sister city officials to
appear not driven by any purpose beyond political diplomacy. To the incognizant public,
it merely seems as though the city of Hangzhou is used as a “symbol of diplomacy” due
to its reputation as a hub in the Silk Road, whereas inhabitants of the city that formed
the identity in the first place are not given any real opportunity to contribute towards
the continuation of the Silk Road narrative, thereby hindering local engagement in
City-to-City Cooperation initiatives.
If Hangzhou wishes to establish fruitful cooperation relations with its sisters, it
needs to enhance coordination with existing international associations in the region,
such as ASEAN and UCLG, and develop a transparent and widely accessible information
network regarding the initiative’s progress to minimize communication barriers and
increase engagement with local stakeholders. In this way, efforts of appealing towards
historical narratives and cultural heritage between cities could be celebrated and
responded to by both leaders and members of local society. Let us not forget that
regardless of the grand expeditions and political policies of the past, it is the small
everyday exchanges between travelers and local merchants in different cities that had
truly kept the ancient Silk Road alive and brought its success in advancing civilizations
across the region. The Belt and Road Initiative’s success could only be built if the biggest
and smallest members of society move together.
About the writer:
Josephine Emmanuel , Bachelor student on Urban and regional planning, Bandung Institute of Technology and research Intern at the UCLG ASPAC Secretariat.
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