Industrial Storytelling and Cross-City Synergy: Hangzhou and Paris in Dialogue

PARIS and HANGZHOU, China, July 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Paris and Hangzhou, though separated by thousands of miles, have long shared an unspoken affinity. That affinity gained fresh meaning at the Hangzhou Promotion Event that brought a new kind of conversation to the banks of the Seine.

Co-hosted by the Hangzhou International Communication Center (HZICC) and the Linping District International Communication Center, the event ran under the theme "Civilization Dialogue: From Cultural Heritage to Industry Narrative" and presented a Hangzhou that carries deep history while leaning boldly into the future.

After the "Hangzhou, a Window to China's 5000-Year Civilization" Mediterranean dialogue tour in 2025, HZICC has shifted its focus from tracing ancient roots to forging industrial ties. "Hangzhou is turning its industrial strengths, innovation vitality and city stories into a global narrative that can be felt, understood and shared," said Ji Tao, operation director of the center.

Corporate voices brought that narrative to life. A roundtable on industrial synergy and cultural exchange deepened the discussion.

Cainiao Global Supply Chain unveiled the efforts of managing to reduce the delivery time between China and France to three days, while AliExpress pointed to growing localization capabilities and EU tax reforms pushing premium brands to build local warehouses.

E-Fashion Town recounted a decade-long collaboration with the Institut Français de la Mode and international brands. CFMOTO described how Chinese powersports brands are leapfrogging competitors through technology and branding.

Charles-Emmanuel Dewees, founder of the NICE Cultural Exchange Platform, was unequivocal: "Can web novels become a shared language? Absolutely. When language isn't a barrier, what touches your heart is the common language."

Outside the conference hall, a Hangzhou exhibition booth displayed mortise-and-tenon building block models, celadon tea ware, city mascots and other cultural and creative products. French visitor Hugo Nicoli, who had previously sipped tea on West Lake, said the porcelain and architectural miniatures made him eager to return with his family.

The promotion was just the beginning. The HZICC team spent four days filming in Paris — product selections inside a Tmall Global office, parcel sorting at a Cainiao warehouse, and test drive at CFMOTO store and fashion experience in MEILLEUR MOMENT boutique.

The stories gathered along the Seine in France were then carried back to the Grand Canal in China— between two waters, the distance is never so great as it seems.

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