Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Zheng Zeguang, and his wife, Counselor Hua Mei, visited Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, and met with Mayor of the city Kate Rolfe, on June 29.

Zheng said that China and Stratford-upon-Avon have forged bond of friendship by culture, and have a good foundation for cooperation. Both Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare who lived in the same era were the shining stars in the history of Chinese and British literature.

Zheng noted that thanks to President Xi Jinping's initiative, both China and the UK have sought to deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges by commemorating these two great playwrights. Tang Xianzu's hometown, Fuzhou, East China's Jiangxi province, and Stratford-upon-Avon, have established a sister-city relationship. China will continue to support the friendly cooperation between the two cities, deepen exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations, to consolidate the social foundation of China-UK relations.