Didier Boschung, consul general of Switzerland in Guangzhou. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Guangzhou's continual endeavors to improve its living environment in recent years have gained many thumbs-up from foreigners, especially those who have worked or lived in the city for some years.

One of them is Didier Boschung, consul general of Switzerland in Guangzhou. Boschung set foot in Guangzhou in 2014 and it did not take him long to develop a positive impression of the city's modernity and vibrancy as well as the friendliness of the people.

"Guangzhou is a vibrant megacity but it has a green environment and a lower degree of pollution compared to other major cities in China. It is certainly offering a friendly and comfortable atmosphere to live in," said the Swiss consul general in a written interview.

"My family and I enjoy the parks, kid-friendly surroundings, entertainment areas or shopping malls," he said. "The city's planning did include many green zones, pedestrian areas and parks. Therefore, the new Central Business District (Zhujiang New Town) does not look too busy and it is rather inviting for a walk on the Huacheng Avenue or for a bicycle ride along the Pearl River."

In the past few years, the Guangzhou government has been gearing up to make the city clean, tidy, safe and orderly, while beautifying it with flowers.

The city's recent project to create "flower corridors" saw plants added to 353 bridges and flyovers, over an accumulative length of 309 kilometers. The project is among Guangzhou's attempts to fortify the city's reputation as China's "Flower City".

Guangzhou's culture has left an equally strong impression on the Swiss. "Guangzhou has a rich cultural history and the city is well known as the cultural hub of South China. The mixture of modern architecture and well preserved historical landmarks such as Shamian Island gives a special cultural identity to Guangzhou," he said.

He cited the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the Guangzhou Opera House, Canton Tower, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou Library, Xinghai Concert Hall and Guangzhou Museum of Art as some of the must-visit landmarks in addition to dozens of other public libraries, artistic performance sites or art galleries.

For Boschung personally, Guangzhou's football culture is a special drawing card, as the city has two excellent football teams, Evergrande FC and Guangzhou R&F FC.

"I always tell friends or relatives to come visit Guangzhou which is still a quite unknown place for many people. Once visitors are here, they are always very surprised to find such a modern, inclusive and exciting city and hospitable people," he said.

Boschung's younger daughter was born in Guangzhou. He said that she will forever have special thoughts for this wonderful city and that he will make sure that she regularly visits her place of birth when she grows up."

The consul general's positive attitude is evident in his comments on the city government's attempt to improve the living condition for the people.

"Streets, walkways, pedestrians' zones are being constructed or renovated and these continuous improvements are appreciated by the population," he said.

According to the consul general, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has joined hands with the Guangzhou city government since 2016 for a program under the Sino-Swiss Low Carbon Cities Project for further collaboration on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases while establishing a solid foundation in the medical and bio-pharmaceutical industry that will be explored in the city's Conghua district in the next six years.

In the eyes of the Swiss consul general, the local population in Guangzhou has a profound tradition for foreign trade and a more tolerant approach to cultural differences, which he attributed to the city's costal location in South China and early exposure to western influence.

"The city is on the spur of exerting its global influence, particular through organizing many pivotal international conferences and forums, such as the Fortune Global Forum last December. These kinds of events will help Guangzhou facilitate economic collaboration and multilateral relationships, as well as strengthen its global presence in various other fields, such as sustainable development, urbanization, and regional cooperation," he said.

Boschung said that although the city's importance is now better appreciated, Guangzhou still deserves more international recognition.