Premier Zhou Enlai (second left, 1898–1976) meets with Kenzo Matsumura (1883–1971), a senior with Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, at the Beijing Institute of Physical Education (today's Beijing Sport University) on Oct. 1, 1959.

Nanto is embraced by sea and mountains in southwest Toyama Prefecture, Japan, while Shaoxing is an ancient city at the foot of the Kuaiji Mountains in northern Zhejiang Province, south of China, commented by Chairman Mao Zedong (1893–1976) the "home to views and personages." The two are sister cities symbolizing the Sino-Japanese friendship.

Orchid sisterhood 

Shaoxing is the hometown of Zhou Enlai (1898–1976). He spent 23 of his 26 years in office as the Chinese premier of the State Council on normalizing the diplomatic relations between China and Japan. After the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1972, he spent another three years promoting the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship till his death.