"Both personally and in my country, we really have an interest in promoting culture. I'm truly impressed by the cultural environment here in China," he added.

　　Manuel Carvalho, Portuguese ambassador to China, has never been to Gansu either, but he has long known about Dunhuang, home to the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 4th century.

　　In April, he took part in the "Global Linking of Dunhuang Culture" event, which linked Dunhuang and Lanzhou in Gansu, Beijing, and Portugal's Aveiro in a hybrid online-offline format. Since 2022, the series has traveled to countries including Armenia, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States.

　　"The thing that interested me first was the Mogao Caves," Carvalho said. "But then I saw so much more, from the landscapes to the cities, from the fields to the mountains, and the many facets of Chinese culture. You are sharing with the world the beauty that you have."

　　As outlined in China's latest Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which calls for expanding high-level opening-up, cities along the Hexi Corridor are now taking the initiative to go global, strengthening their ties with the world through trade, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

　　Jiuquan, at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, enjoys abundant sunlight and sharp day-night temperature swings, making it a major seed production base serving overseas markets.

　　At a seed company's research center in Jiuquan, staff are cultivating new varieties of fruits and vegetables using molecular breeding techniques. "We have developed hundreds of new vegetable varieties, which are sold both on the domestic market and abroad," said Ta Wenshan, head of the company.