◆Edited by Xu Mingni

　　December 21, 2003 is the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the friend-cities between Nanjing and Nagoya. On the afternoon of December 2, a copper animal, Pixie, with a height of 2.5m and a weight of 3 tons was erected in Dongshan Park at Nagoya. Mr. Luo Zhijun, secretary of CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee, led a delegation, specially came to participate in activities of the celebration of the friend-city of the two cities and unveiled the copper statue together with officials of Nagoya.

　　On December 21, 1978, Nanjing Municipality and Nagoya became friend cities. It was the first pair of Sino-Japanese friend-city after the signing of the Sino-Japnese Friendship treaty. Nagoya is the economic center in the middle part of Japan and an important port of international trade. It has very developed science, culture, education and infrastructures. In the past 25 years, large amounts of co-operations and exchanges have been carried out in areas such as economy, science, education and culture between the two cities. There are more than 3,000 persons/times of mutual visits, from leaders at the city level to ordinary residents. Nagoya Iron Group and enterprises of electrical machinery, chemistry and plastics have established joint ventures or exclusive investing enterprises in Nanjing. In the 5th and the 20th anniversaries for celebrating the friend-city, Nagoya held grand exhibitions of electronic technology in Nanjing and Nanjing held an exhibition on cultural relics of six dynasties in Nagoya.

　　The unveiling ceremony was held at Dongshan Park whose annual visitors total 2 million. At 1:30 a.m., many enthusiastic residents of Nagoya have long been waiting at the statue veiled by a piece of red silk for seeing the elegant bearing of Pixie, the kind and lucky animal in the ancient Chinese myth. First of all, mayor of Nagoya, expressed warm welcome for guests from Nanjing in the name of two million local residents. He said that the copper statue of the mascot Pixie is now erected at Dongshan Park, which shows the further development of the deep friendship of the two cities. Mr. Luo Zhijun also delivered an address, and he said that Pixie is the symbol of Nanjing and the Nanjing Municipal Government now sends a copper Pixie to Nagoya, hoping it to become the symbol of peace and friendship between China and Japan and between Nanjing and Nagoya. When he finished his remarks, nearly a hundred of children from kindergartens happily began to sing two Japanese songs for admiring peace and friendship.

　　Then Mr. Luo and the mayor of Nagoya unveiled the statue together. The piece of red silk was gradually being veiled, and a Pixie made of red copper stood before the crowd. It holds its head high, making a posture to be walking fast as if flying. It embodies the elegant style of a city that has experienced many historical changes and is now bravely striding forward. The mayor and residents went forward to touch the statue, hoping to have a good luck from the lucky animal Pixie. It is said that a ceramic statue of the city emblem is now being manufactured in Nagoya that is to be sent to Nanjing.

　　In the afternoon of Dec. 3, an introduction meeting on the investment environment of Nanjing was held in Nagoya. One hundred and two projects with a total investment of $12.6 billion were demonstrated and more than 250 guests from political and commercial circles were invited to be present.