Nanjing unveils statue of Persian writer, born in sister-city Shiraz

2022-11-24 17:43:00

A statue of Saadi Shirazi, better known by his pen name Saadi, was unveiled in the Nanjing International Friendship Park.

The Persian poet and prose writer was born in Shiraz, a city of history and culture, and his works including Bustan (The Orchard) and Gulistan (The Rose Garden) were translated into different languages.

In August, a statue of Cao Xueqin, author of the "Dream of the Red Chamber," one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature, met the public at Jahan Nama Garden in Shiraz. Nanjing has enhanced its international exchanges by taking advantage of its rich history and literature reputation including the title of UNESCO City of Literature.

Deng Zhiyi, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee and vice mayor, said the two cities have deepened friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, culture, education and tourism since the establishment of the sister-city relationship in 2018.

Noting the two cities have carved a path of cooperation and interaction that suits development needs and features distinctive characteristics, Ding called for more efforts to advance the in-depth, pragmatic and win-win cooperation while contributing to the promotion of China-Iran bilateral ties.