Wuxi, the Chinese city that surprised me in Brussels

My name is Daniel Verheyden, vice-president of New Horizons International Culture. Our company has just signed an MOU with Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, recently regarding Wuxi-Brussels Cultural & Art Exhibition Exchange and Cooperation Project.

But until now, I have never been to Wuxi, so my encounter with Wuxi may be a bit different from those of others.

It all started from an overcast afternoon in Tour & Taxis, Brussels on June 10, where the opening ceremony of "Jiangsu Week of Grand Canal Culture" took place. I had no idea what to expect, just a vague curiosity about Chinese culture and a love for waterway histories. What I found there, however, was far more than an exhibition, it was a doorway.

As I stepped inside the hall, I was immediately surrounded by a rich tapestry of visuals, aromas and sounds. Performances in elegant silk robes danced alongside installations showcasing ancient canal towns, lacquerware, delicate calligraphy, and vibrant scrolls depicting life along the Grand Canal. Amid the displays, one city kept coming up: Wuxi.

There was a photo wall with images of shimmering Taihu Lake, Wuxi's ancient Huishan clay figurines, Wuxi's Opera, the bustling Nanchan Temple market, and Yixing purple clay teapots. A volunteer at the booth noticed my interest and began telling me more about Wuxi- the "Pearl of Taihu Lake", with its unique position of the intersection of history, water culture, and modern innovation.

Something clicked. I had always been fascinated by the way certain places blend the old and the new, and Wuxi seemed to be embodiment of that harmony. And I love Yixing's pottery and tea culture, it's an artistry, a craftsmanship, and an aromatic key that opens the hearts of European tea lovers like me.

These sensory experiences made Wuxi's image more concrete, I had better idea of the city that I was going to sign a MOU within a few hours' time.