Visiting Chinese official notes cultural, religious similarities

During their visit to Bangkok, a top official of the Chinese city of Luoyang and his entourage revealed their interest in tourism and management of their old city, thanks to the similar culture with Thailand.

They are looking for coordination in the field of religion in the near future.

Wang Lilin yesterday told Krungthep Turakij newspaper that Thailand and Luoyang, which is in Henan province, had a long relationship and shared many similarities. He and his group came here to study many fields of work, including business, tourism and manufacturing.

Wang, who is also president of the management committee of Luoyang New Zone, said Luoyang was an old city of China with more than 1,500 years of history.

The city of Luoyang went through 13 dynasties and 105 emperors, starting from the Xia Dynasty in the 21 century BC. In the period following the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), and particularly during the Sui (AD 581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, the city experienced a period of growth and prosperity and ranked as one of the international metropolises of the time.

Luoyang is rich in historical and cultural sites. Wang had the chance to tour Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand, to learn more about its management and ecotourism. His group looked at public works and the new master plan, and met with the provincial governor.

The tourism patterns of Thailand and Luoyang are quite different, he said.

"Luoyang has focused on sightseeing, while Thailand has many types of tourism. Thailand is among the destinations favoured by Chinese travellers, thanks to its unique culture and hospitality," he said.

The most interesting thing is that Thailand and Luoyang have much in common, as both are Buddhist, he said. Luoyang has five types of temples, including Thai temples. Both Thailand and Luoyang should work together on religious matters, he said. Thailand is quite famous for its tourism and many foreign tourists coming here are really here for relaxation and to spend their long holidays in the country.

Charoen Pokphand Group, one of Thailand's largest conglomerates, has invested in business projects in Luoyang for many years, Wang said. Their latest is in line with the aim of the city administration to attract more businesses from CP. Its businesses include a motorcycle plant with a capacity of about 600,000 units per year, a turnkey agricultural project and properties.

Wang and his group inspected CP's operations in Thailand.