On May 26, Chengdu and Paris signed an agreement of cooperation to become “international friendly neighborhoods.” The street signs of Chengdu’s Hongxing Road Section III and Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris will be presented together in Chengdu for a week. Hongxing Road Section III is the first street in central or western China to establish this strategic relationship.

According to the head of the 6th arrondissement in Paris, Jean-Pierre Lecoq, his city is striving for a friendly relationship with China. The 6th arrondissement has held Chinese New Year galas for years, and established an “international friendly neighborhood” relationship with Shanghai’s Huaihai Road in 2011.

“I have always had a love for China and the Chinese people, and I’m glad to carry out new cooperation with the pandas' hometown, Chengdu,” Lecoq said.

Boulevard Saint-Germain is located on the left bank of the Seine River. In addition to a number of French boutiques, many historical cafes also populate the street.

Chengdu will invite French artists to create wall paintings along Hongxing Road Section III, and a famous jazz musician from France will hold concerts in Chengdu. In the future, Chengdu residents will be able to feel the fashion and romance of Paris in their own hometown, which will narrow the distance between the two cities.