People visit Zhanjiang Qingduan Garden, the former residence of Chen Bin. [Photo/Zhanjiang.gov.cn]

Zhanjiang Qingduan Garden, the former residence of Chen Bin, was unveiled as the fourth provincial cross-Straits exchange base in Guangdong province on Oct 14 to promote bilateral cooperation and cultural communication.

Chen Bin was a government official of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) who served in Taiwan for nearly ten years. Taiwan's economy, coastal defense, governance, culture, and education all achieved great developments under his management. For more than a decade, Zhanjiang has repaired the former residence of Chen Bin,  building a memorial hall, a poetry and calligraphy exhibition hall, as well as a political history exhibition hall.

After unveiling the memorial plate, Zheng Renhao, Party secretary of Zhanjiang, and Huang Zhaofen, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of Guangdong Province, visited the Chen Bin Memorial Hall, learning about his legacy in governance. "Chen Bin is not only a famous official in the history, but also a good official that is worthy of admiration and study by future generations," said Zheng.

Zheng stressed that Zhanjiang will take this opportunity to further accelerate the construction and management of the base, build a first-class cross-Straits exchange platform, as well as deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

Huang Zhaofen praised Zhanjiang's efforts in carrying out cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation for many years. She expressed hope that Zhanjiang will further strengthen the construction of the base, as well as establish a sound working mechanism to promote the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese culture.