Dunhuang – Matera to unite with China through a twinning inspired to history and culture

Matera, the City of the “Sassi” (stone houses carved out of the caves), has twinned up with Dunhuang, the city whose name means “shining beacon”, one of the most famous cultural and historical cities of China’s Jiuquan Prefecture, known as the “Singing-Sand Mountain”. Matera will take part in the Expo of cultural cooperation scheduled to be held in Dunhuang from 19 to 22 September, where it will tell its story and how it was awarded the title of European Capital of Culture for 2019. This was the subject debated yesterday during a meeting in Matera between the institutions of the Lucania region and representatives of the Chinese Government headed by the Cultural Counsellor at the Chines Embassy in Rome, Zhang Jianda. Mr Jianda, who was accompanied by Lucania MP Cosimo Latronico (“Conservatori e Riformisti” Party), illustrated to the Mayor of Matera, Raffaello De Ruggieri, the spirit that inspired the city’s application to participate in the Expo. The two cities are both on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List and intend to establish a twinning based on the culture and points of excellence of the two cities, the Press Office of the Municipality of Matera reported in a press release.