Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province [Photo/VCG]

The ancient ruins of Bashbaliq City, commonly known in China as Beiting, which lies at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains in Jimusaer county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was once part of the ancient Silk Road. It is located in remote areas of China and is little known to the outside world. 

The ruins of Bashbaliq City were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2014, and Gulangyu Island, known for its cultural diversity, joined the World Heritage List in 2017. The two cities established a partnership on July 18.

The site of the ancient Bashbaliq City in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region [Photo/IC]

Since the establishment of the partnership, the two sites have deepened cooperation and exchange in the protection of cultural heritage and the sharing of tourism resources, and a variety of cultural activities have been held to promote people-to-people exchange between the two sites.

Since 1999, Fujian province has sent more than 1,000 people to provide aid in Xinjiang, particularly cultural aid. The province has organized all kinds of promotional activities such as art group exchange programs and direct chartered flight services, which have helped the Bashbaliq City ruins become more well-known and attract more tourists.