China-Bulgaria.jpg (Photo : Google )
Central China's Xuchang City and the municipality of Smolyan in Bulgaria's Rhodope Mountain signed on Monday a preliminary agreement stating their desire to become sister cities, according to officials.
The agreement is geared toward expanding cooperation between the two cities, said Qin Chunmei, deputy mayor of Xuchang, during the signing ceremony, said a report by the Global Times.
The would-be sister cities' relationship goes as far back as 1997, according to the report.
As a result of their new official ties, Xuchang and Smolyan could collaborate further in areas such as tourism, education and culture, Qin said.
The filming of the Chinese version of the reality show "Survivor" was done in September in the village of Momchilovtsi, which is about 19 kilometers northeast of Smolyan.
Smolyan, the capital and industrial center of Smolyan Province, is a ski resort in the farthest south of Bulgaria and is not very far from the border of Greece.
The town was once under Ottoman rule.
Meanwhile, Xuchang, which borders Henan Province's capital Zhengzhou, is the center of China's tobacco industry.
The city is also known for its human hair exports and its Jun porcelain industry.
