OCMFA's Zhongshan Tour: Exploring the Glamour of the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the Western Artificial Island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel

On the afternoon of April 10, the delegation visited the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the western artificial Island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel, marking the conclusion of their two-day tour.

On the afternoon of April 10, the delegation visited the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation first visited Cuiheng Village, the hometown of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and then toured the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The museum is a national first-class museum and the centerpiece of the Sun Yat-sen's Hometown Tourism Area, a national 5A-level tourist attraction. Located in Cuiheng Village, it lies approximately 100 kilometers south of Guangzhou and about 30 kilometers north of Macau, facing Shenzhen and Hong Kong across the Pearl River Estuary. Dr. Sun Yat-sen was born here in 1866. In 1892, he personally designed and supervised the construction of his two-story residence, which features a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles. A tamarind tree that he brought back from Honolulu still grows in the front yard.

The delegation visited Dr. Sun Yat-sen's former residence. Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation visited Dr. Sun Yat-sen's former residence, touring the restored furnishings from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China period, including his study and the family's bedrooms, gaining an understanding of his early living environment. They then visited the Cuiheng Folk Houses Exhibition Area, which recreates the daily lives and customs of various social classes in the Pearl River Delta countryside during that era, offering a glimpse into the hometown roots that shaped Dr. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary ideas.

The delegation visited the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Photo by Bastille Post

To conclude the visit, the delegation visited the western artificial island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel, observing how this massive infrastructure project has significantly reduced the distance between Shenzhen and Zhongshan, boosting connectivity across the Greater Bay Area. The Channel, combining bridges, islands, tunnels, and underwater interchanges, spans about 24 kilometers. Since its opening, travel time between Shenzhen and Zhongshan has been reduced from two hours to within 30 minutes, highlighting Zhongshan's strategic position as the geometric center of the Greater Bay Area.

The delegation visited the western artificial island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel. Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Johannes Hack, Chair of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, stated that the visit to Zhongshan left him deeply impressed by the tremendous progress China has made, which now still continues. He noted that the mega project of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel fully demonstrates the importance of connectivity and that Hong Kong plays a crucial role in this regard. According to him, the European Chamber of Commerce is pleased to have Hong Kong as its base, serving as a bridge connecting the Chinese Mainland and the world. Everything they have seen during the visit demonstrates the strong and enduring connection between Europe and China. He believed that maintaining the mutual partnership and jointly developing business would be crucial for both sides.

When discussing cooperation opportunities between Europe and Zhongshan, he expressed that abundant opportunities already exist; otherwise, numerous European corporations would not have established themselves in Hong Kong and across Guangdong Province. He stated that a key direction for future development is attracting more European SMEs and startups, particularly those in artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and life sciences, since the environment of the Greater Bay Area is ideal for their growth and development.

Mr. Johannes Hack, Chair of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Photo by Bastille Post

When asked which part of the two-day visit impressed or surprised him the most, he replied that it's difficult to name specific items. During the visit, they not only visited Dr. Sun Yat-sen's former residence, which showcases the historical power of a man who, with his strong willingness, influenced and led an entire era, but also witnessed extraordinary engineering technology on the world-class Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel. Besides, the visit to the lighting center in Guzhen Town demonstrated the vitality of industrial innovation. He believed the trip was a perfect combination of history, culture, engineering, and modern industry.

Regarding how to promote Zhongshan and the Greater Bay Area to his European friends, Mr. Hack emphasized the key role Hong Kong plays in the regional development. He said that, through Hong Kong, the European Chamber of Commerce has been working hard to let more Europeans have a deeper understanding of the concept of the Greater Bay Area, including the roles that the nine Mainland cities, Hong Kong, and Macau play in the development. Considering the fame of the Greater Bay Area in Europe still needs to be improved at present, the Chamber will continue to conduct the related publicity to its European partners.

Mr. Augustus Tang, a Director of John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Augustus Tang, a Director of John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited, said that what impressed him most about the visit was the high-quality work done by the Zhongshan Municipal People's Government in terms of business environment and social management. Although the trip lasted only two days, Zhongshan left a highly professional and welcoming impression on him, making him want to adopt such an opportunity to express his gratitude to the municipal government.

When discussing cooperation opportunities between Zhongshan and Hong Kong, he said that Zhongshan's development offers a valuable model for other cities in the Greater Bay Area, for its remarkable achievements in upgrading traditional industries and cultivating emerging ones. With the increasingly close ties among cities in the Greater Bay Area, future business opportunities will be limitless.

He also emphasized that Hong Kong can play a vital bridging role in promoting the development of the Great Bay Area. As an international financial, shipping, and trade hub, Hong Kong possesses extensive experience and a global network in professional services, financing, risk management, and internationalization, which can help the enterprises in Zhongshan better "go global" while also facilitating foreign investment into Zhongshan, achieving mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

The group photo of the delegation, Photo by Bastille Post

Regarding the impact of the Middle East situation on the global energy landscape, he stated that the war in the Middle East is miserable, bringing a negative effect on human civilization and the global economy. Oil prices have already risen, putting pressure on economic activity, people's livelihoods, and inflation in many countries and regions. He expressed hope that the conflict could be resolved soon, restoring peace and stability to the region.

Moreover, he stated that over the past two days, he was impressed by Zhongshan's favorable business environment and the warm welcome from the municipal government and citizens to foreign investors. He believed that the business representatives who accompanied him on this trip would carefully consider cooperation opportunities with Zhongshan upon returning home.

On the morning of the second day of the delegation visit, they toured the Starry Union Global Brand Lighting Center in Guzhen Town, the renowned "Lighting Capital". In the afternoon, the delegation headed to Sunwen West Road Pedestrian Street to immerse themselves in Zhongshan's local culture and urban vitality.

On the morning of the second day of the delegation visit, they toured the Starry Union Global Brand Lighting Center in Guzhen Town, the renowned "Lighting Capital". Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation first visited the Starry Union Global Brand Lighting Center in Guzhen Town, a town renowned for its lighting industry and home to the world's largest lighting production base, supplying approximately 70% of the Chinese lighting market. Over the past five years, Guzhen Town's GDP has grown from 11.76 billion RMB in 2020 to 17.78 billion RMB in 2025, representing an average annual growth rate of 8.6%.

Photo by Bastille Post

As a landmark of Guzhen's lighting industry, the Starry Union Global Brand Lighting Center stands over 100 meters tall and features a massive glass curtain wall. With a total construction area exceeding 360,000 square meters, it brings together more than a thousand renowned lighting brands from both domestic and international markets, integrating brand display, international procurement, and R&D design—truly a "never-ending expo" for the lighting industry. The delegation especially visited the Swarovski zone of Diamond Life International Lighting Group and the Datang Palace exhibition hall, etc., where they experienced firsthand high-end customized lighting solutions and magnificent lighting designs. They witnessed the remarkable transformation of Zhongshan's lighting industry from traditional manufacturing to intelligent, high-end production.

With a total construction area exceeding 360,000 square meters, the center brings together more than a thousand renowned lighting brands from both domestic and international markets. Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Hong Kong, remarked that the lighting center in Zhongshan was deeply impressive. He noted that the center showcases strong design capabilities and a wide range of customization options. 

He indicated that there are significant opportunities for cooperation between Zhongshan and Pakistan. Lighting products are essential for nearly every hotel, shopping mall, store, or residence. At present, Pakistan mainly sources lighting fixtures from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, but the Star Union is a place well worth close attention, which is highly attractive in terms of customized design, delivery times, and production capacity. He believed that Pakistani businesses and buyers would come here to explore cooperation opportunities in the future.

The group photo of the delegation, Photo by Bastille Post

When asked what role Hong Kong can play in the cooperation between Zhongshan and Pakistan, he stated that Hong Kong, situated at the crossroads of the world and the Chinese Mainland, possesses unique locational advantages. As an important city in the Greater Bay Area, Zhongshan, like Guangzhou and Shenzhen, is full of development vitality. Hong Kong can serve as a bridge, helping to connect Zhongshan businesses with Pakistani buyers and enabling more international buyers to come to Zhongshan and explore business opportunities.

When asked about his impressions of the visit to Zhongshan, he noted that compared to Shenzhen and Guangzhou, Zhongshan is smaller in scale. However, its speed of development and level of professionalism are astonishing, particularly in the fields of biotechnology, healthcare, new energy, and lighting, where it has demonstrated strong capabilities and significant potential. He believed that though Zhongshan currently lacks sufficient international visibility, it can unlock even greater development potential if it attracts more international buyers and investors in the future.

The delegation then visited Sunwen West Road Pedestrian Street. Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation then visited Sunwen West Road Pedestrian Street, a century-old street named after Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Stretching approximately 500 meters as a historical witness to Zhongshan's urban development, the street preserves a large number of Nanyang-style shop-house buildings constructed from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, featuring a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles: The ground floors house shops while the upper floors serve as residences, creating a unique mixed-use commercial and residential landscape. Once Zhongshan's most prosperous commercial hub, the Old Street reflects the city's proud history as a hometown of overseas Chinese. Today, through conservation and revitalization efforts, Sunwen West Road Pedestrian Street retains its historical character while incorporating modern commercial elements, becoming an important window presenting Zhongshan's overseas Chinese culture and urban vitality.

The Sunwen West Road Pedestrian Street, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Jim Zeng, Chief Representative of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council for the Greater Bay Area and Central China, said the visit gave him a deep impression that Zhongshan possesses both traditional industries and emerging future-oriented sectors. He noted that traditional industries, such as lighting, can leverage Hong Kong's geographical advantage for optimization and upgrading, including brand design, overseas promotion, and global operations. The city can help the corporations further enhance the international competitiveness of their existing products.

The delegation visited Sunwen West Road Pedestrian Street. Photo by Bastille Post

He observed that emerging technology industries, such as the new energy corporations he visited, have an even greater need for global resources integration, making the requirement more urgent than for traditional industries. Many new technologies, whether in new energy or other fields, are underpinned by Chinese technology, standards, and solutions. To rapidly expand into global markets and increase the scale in the future, the corporations must have a greater say in setting technical standards. Hong Kong can play a crucial role in this regard.

He further stated that Hong Kong can serve as both a testing ground and a training ground. Companies can test, refine, and adapt their products in Hong Kong's international environment before launching them in overseas markets, and Hong Kong is the best bridge connecting the Mainland with the international market.

The group photo of some delegation members, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Zeng also indicated that Hong Kong can act as a value-added agent and risk manager. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council's recently launched "Go Global" initiative aims to help companies expand more effectively worldwide by integrating financial, talent, and legal resources, thereby reducing overseas operational risks and accelerating the establishment of overseas headquarters and after-sales service centers.