5th Station: Wuhan
Gerhard Schröder opened "German-Chinese Promenade"
The fifth station of the "Germany and China - Moving Ahead Together" event series in Hubei/Wuhan on 24 October 2009 was opened by former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as guest of honour. Afterwards, he sat next to the Governor of Hubei Province, Li Hongzhong, the Secretary General of the Goethe-Institut, Hans-Georg Knopp, and BASF board member and representative of the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA), Martin Brudermüller, at the "Forum for Sustainable Development".
The "Forum for Sustainable Development" was one of the many events that took place during the "German-Chinese Promenade" in the Central Chinese metropolis of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. These included the "City and Theatre" forum, about the importance of a city’s cultural infrastructure, a seminar on "Urban Development and Quality of Life" and a "Children's University". In the bamboo pavilion, developed specifically for the "German-Chinese Promenade" by the Munich installation artist Markus Heinsdorff, German businesses, institutions, ministries, federal states and municipalities presented their visions and suggested solutions on the theme of "Sustainable Urbanization". In a "Central Pavilion" a multimedia exhibition offered visitors a glimpse into concepts of sustainable urban development. The Conference and Cultural Pavilions gave the citizens of Wuhan the opportunity to discuss socially relevant issues with representatives from politics, business, urban planning, culture, education and science. The nightly highlight of the "German-Chinese Promenade" was an open air German-Chinese pop music festival.
The "German-Chinese Promenade" is considered the heart of each station in the "Germany and China - Moving Ahead Together" event series. The bamboo pavilions for exhibitions and discussion forums are always installed in a public place or park in the centre of each host city. The esplanade is designed to provide inspiration for dealing with public space in mega cities. It serves as a forum, a place of discussion and encounter with and for the citizens of each city.
The "Germany and China - Moving Ahead Together" event series is hosted in six Chinese cities. Wuhan, a city of 9 million, is the fifth station after Nanjing, Chongqing, Guangdong and Shenyang. So far, more than three quarters of a million people have attended the events. German Chancellor Angela Merkel launched the series in 2007 in Beijing. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, then Germany’s Foreign Minister, opened the "Chongqing Dialogue on Urbanization" at the second station. In 2010, "Germany and China - Moving Ahead Together" will be represented at the World EXPO in Shanghai.
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