In July 2010, Angelo Vasaro, the then vice president of the International 
Cittaslow Alliance, visited Gaochun. He couldn't help but sigh, "This is really 
like a slow city." This is China's first Cittaslow, Yaxi, Gaochun. In November 
2010, Gaochun Yaxi's "Ecological Journey" passed the certification of the 
International Cittaslow Alliance, and since then started the "sinicization" of 
Cittaslow, according to Gaochun International Cittaslow Administrative 
Committee.

After ten years of development, Gaochun took "slow" as its soul and formed the 
concept of "Cittaslow" of "taste slow life and share happiness", and cultivated 
the "Mountain Cittaslow" in the east, "Cultural Cittaslow" in the middle, and 
"Watery Cittaslow" in the west. "Slow" has become Gaochun's unique landscape 
and characteristic competitiveness, realizing a whole-region eco-tourism 
pattern with mountains, greenery, and water systems.

After ten years of exploration, Gaochun has explored a "Cittaslow+" development 
road with unique Gaochun characteristics. Rivers, mountains, local culture, and 
folk customs are Gaochun's most precious wealth. It strives to explore the 
development model of Cittaslow and the diversified integration of culture, 
agriculture, tourism, sports, etc., and has successfully launched Cittaslow 
festival brands such as Golden Flower Festival, Lotus Festival, Crab Festival. 
It gradually creates a "Gaochun model" with ecological environment, green 
industry and cultural protection which is in line with Cittaslow concept.

With ten years of hard work, Gaochun, the Chinese headquarters of China 
Cittaslow Network, has worked hard to build an international tourism and 
cultural exchange platform, successfully hosting international conferences and 
cultural tourism sports such as the Cittaslow Coordination Meeting, and Gaochun 
International Cittaslow Marathon. During the event, sister cities were 
established with Mirande, France and Lidzbark, Poland, to build a bridge of 
communication with world's Cittaslow. Under the guidance of Gaochun, 11 regions 
including Yanyang in Meizhou, Guangdong and Qufu in Shandong have been 
successfully recommended to join the International Cittaslow, making the road 
to the sinicization of the International Cittaslow wider and wider.

Cittaslow is the place where people can enjoy all the scenery of the year. 
Cittaslow is also the place that they can observe fruitful development and the 
"Chinese quality" of last ten years. In the next ten years, Gaochun set out 
again to meet future opportunities and challenges with a more vigorous fighting 
spirit.

Source: Gaochun International Cittaslow Administrative Committee

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=373132

   Caption: Golden Flower Sea of Gaochun International Cittaslow