From July 4 to 5, a consular corps comprised of consuls in Guangzhou from 19 countries visited Conghua District in Guangzhou.

From go-karting and bamboo boat floating to picking lychees, consuls in Guangzhou lauded Conghua, the backyard of Guangzhou, for its vitality and idyllic nature, and expressed hopes for more sectors of collaboration with the promising district.

Fast and furious

In the afternoon of July 4, the consular corps experienced go-karting at Guangzhou Conghua International Circuit to savor a Fast and Furious movie in person.

Roger Alvarado receives interviews at Guangzhou Conghua International Circuit in Guangzhou on July 4. (Photo: South)

Having driven the karting, Roger Alvarado, Consul General of Panama in Guangzhou, voiced to tell racers in his country to come and try the race here due to the galvanizing atmosphere, well-equipped track, and high-skilled competitors.

A bit of trepidation owing to her first time go-karting, Cindy Wee, Consul General of Singapore in Guangzhou, passed about five drivers, offering her a great sense of achievement.

"Once you get used to it, it actually feels very safe. Because it's within your control how much you want to accelerate and brake," she told reporters after the race.

She shared with reporters that surpassing people in front gives racers a sense of achievement. "When someone actually passes you, you feel like you need to catch up."

As the venue for the F1 rally annually, Wee mentioned that Singapore brings friends from all over the world, including racers worldwide coming to her country to attend this big national event.

Notably, she highlighted the potential for collaboration between Guangzhou and Singapore in this domain.

Members of consuls corp drive karts Guangzhou Conghua International Circuit in Guangzhou on July 4. (Photo: South)

Coincidentally, Paige Kawana, Deputy Consul General of New Zealand in Guangzhou, also tried kart driving, noting it as "a real highlight" during the first day.

While talking to one of the members from the motorsport facility at the Circuit, she explored potential cooperation between New Zealand and the facility.

Idyll as the backyard of Guangzhou

After a fast and furious movie scene, the consular corps was ushered to the bamboo rafts on July 4 and lychee picking on July 5 to savor the glamour of the backyard of Guangzhou.

Floating on the lake within the resort, all the members of the corps were relaxed, as Paige Kawana lauded the boat tour as really nice and relaxing.

A day later, the consular corps embarked on lychee picking. Climbing the hills planted with lychee trees clustered with rounded and vermilion fruits, consuls nudged down the lychees, peeled them, and tasted.

"When I saw the big lychees and a lot of varieties, and every variety is different, that was amazing," said Sardar Muhammad, Consul General of Pakistan in Guangzhou.

Sardar Muhammad savors lychee at a lychee plant park in Conghua, Guangzhou on July 5. (Photo: South)

As primarily an agricultural country, Muhammad pointed out there is huge cooperation potential in agriculture between China and Pakistan, especially in lychee farming, where there is huge demand.

"Conghua is a place which I personally like the most," he added. He detailed that whenever guests come over, he tells them if they want to see a different side of Guangzhou, they should visit Conghua.

"It's a place that would probably be of greater interest to those tourists who have never been here. They can find everything they want, in addition to the wonderful lychees," the Consul General then picked one and savored it.