The 2004 World Historical and Cultural Cities Expo opened Saturday in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

Mayors and their representatives of ten foreign cities including Barcelona, Florence, Kyoto, Melbourne and St. Petersburg and mayors of 11 Chinese cities, including three cities listed in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List, attended the expo.

The development of a city not only needs the backup from its own tradition and culture but also the exchanges with other cities and different cultures, said Sun Jiazheng, Chinese culture minister, at Saturday's opening ceremony.

The expo will be a platform to push forward exchanges and dialogue among cities from different countries, he added.

China has paid great attention to the protection of a city's historical and cultural heritage during its modernization drive and is trying to reach a harmony between the new construction and old tradition, said Wang Guangtao, minister of construction, at the opening ceremony.

The country now has listed 101 historical and cultural cities of the state level and has 29 sites listed in UNESCO's World Heritage List. Last year it also announced the first historical and cultural towns and villages.

The 21 mayors also signed a Nanjing Declaration about heritage protection and exchanges among the world's historical and cultural cities Saturday.

According to the declaration, the cities agreed to push forward cultural exchanges among one and other on a basis of mutual understanding and respect.

The expo, jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Construction, State Administration of Cultural Heritage and China National Commission for UNESCO, will run through a week with forums, shows and exhibitions scheduled.

(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2004)