Sister city since: October 16, 1997

Overview

Zaporizhzhia is located by the Dnieper River in east-central Ukraine. It is the capital of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the sixth largest city in Ukraine with a population of about 738,700 as of 2019. Zaporizhzhia city is one of the largest administrative, industrial, and cultural centers in southern Ukraine. The Dnieper River flows through the city, which houses ship locks and the first and largest hydropower station in the former Soviet Union – the Dnieper Hydropower Station. It is the main transportation route connecting Ukraine and countries bordering the Black Sea. Zaporizhzhia is a metallurgical, energy, and machinery production base. The city is known as the granary of Europe.

Relations with Yichang

Yichang and Zaporizhzhia’s interaction started with economic cooperation. In November 1991, the Deputy Mayor of Zaporizhzhia led a delegation to Yichang and signed an agreement with Yichang TV Factory on establishing the joint venture Chunyi Electronics Co., Ltd. in Zaporizhzhia. It was the first joint venture established by Hubei Province in the Soviet Union, with an annual output value of up to USD one million. Since then, entrepreneurs of Yichang have registered a number of trading companies in Zaporizhzhia and established a Sino-Ukrainian joint venture: Hubei Barton-Houwang High-Tech Electric Welding Co., Ltd.

The two sides have had fruitful outcomes in science and education exchanges. In October 1998, Yichang Experimental Primary School and Zaporizhzhia No. 99 Middle School established a sister school relationship. In November, the first group of 11 high school graduates from Yichang went to Ukraine at their own expense to pursue bachelor’s degrees at Zaporizhzhia University of Science and Technology. A total of 85 Yichang students have done this program in Ukraine.

Yichang City and Zaporizhzhia City also maintain long-term exchanges in art. In 1999, a delegation from Zaporizhzhia Municipal Cultural Bureau came to Yichang to participate in the First Hubei Wine Festival and staged five performances. In 2019, Yichang Song and Dance Troupe visited Zaporizhzhia for the Zaporizhzhia City Day.

In recent years, Yichang has been in close contact with Zaporizhzhia. After the onset of the COVID-19, Zaporizhzhia sent a letter of sympathy to Yichang and commended its Covid response efforts. Yichang also shared with Zaporizhzhia its experience in combating the pandemic.