Celebrate with us

Guilin and Hastings – Sister Cities for 40 years

The always popular annual Lighting of the Osmanthus Gardens celebrates the strong relationship between Sister Cities Guilin and Hastings.

This year our community is celebrating the 40th anniversary of our Sister City relationship with Guilin, in China, signed on March 4, 1981.

This long relationship between Hastings and Guilin is very important to both cities and to New Zealand, as it was the first Sister City partnership signed between a city in New Zealand and a City in China.

Over the intervening 40 years there have been very many visits between the two cities, including science, trade and local government delegations, and cultural and educational exchanges. The relationship has enabled the development of strong cultural, educational, and political understanding, and has led to trade opportunities both within Guilin and across wider China.

This is a milestone being celebrated both here and in Guilin, with our two mayors, Sandra Hazlehurst and Qin Chuncheng, signing a reaffirmation of our Sister City relationship. Both Hastings and Guilin are committed to continuing to promote and foster goodwill and understanding between our the people of our regions.

The Lighting of the Osmanthus Gardens, an annual tribute to our Sister City relationship, is being held in April (April 12 to 17) and, in honour of this special year, will be even bigger and better than ever. The lit area has been expanded to allow room for more lanterns, and food trucks will be parked up along a closed section of the road outside the Osmanthus Gardens.

In September, there will be a free Hastings-Guilin performance, a Sister Cities showcase, and a celebration dinner.