The 18,000-kilometer Humanistic Envoy 2014- Asian-European Tour from China to France, one of the major events acknowledged by the two governments in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, will pass through more than 30 cities across the Eurasian landmass, among them cities in China, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France. The GAC MOTOR GS5 was selected for this tour, and the individuals taking part in this cultural expedition include Chinese citizens from both sides of the Taiwan Straits as well as overseas Chinese resident in Malaysia, the United States as well as other countries.
The motorcade left from the starting gate on Maritime Silk Road, Guangzhou on August 31st, and is expected to arrive in Paris on October 13th in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France and in celebration of the 65 th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The motorcade will then continue on to Macau Tower, completing a long-distance “tri-tower” journey.
Manzhouli, China’s busiest land port of entry, also known as the Window of East Asia, is located in the heart of the Hulunbuir Grasslands of Inner Mongolia, bordering Mongolia to the west and Russia to the north. The city’s unique fame is the reason the motorcade chose it as the transit point for entering the next country of the tour.
Guangdong Chinese Community Cultural Association chairman Li Wei said, “The Asian-European Tour from China to France is a civic and diplomatic event that enables communication between cultures as a first step for creating a bridge for commerce and trade between economies. The numerous cities, all of which are well-known for their historical and cultural heritage, will be witnesses of the multicultural communication. At the same time, China is in the midst of creating the strategic concept of a New Silk Road Economic Belt, with this tour as a successful practice run.
The tour is a successor to the Long-distance Tour between Guangzhou and Lyon in 2002. At that time, the motorcade started off from Guangzhou and arrived in Lyon, the sister city, after 56 days of travel through 11 countries, covering a distance of 15,000 kilometers. For China, the tour in 2002 was a pioneer event in the concept of driving one’s own vehicle well beyond the borders of one’s own country.