A delegation of members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) visited Quanzhou, East China's Fujian province, from Sept 24 to 25.

The delegation visited the Quanzhou Maritime Museum, the Jinjiang Experience Discovery Hall, and Quanzhou College of Technology to learn about the port city's innovation and development.

Zhang Mingxing, a member of the CPPCC National Committee who was born in Quanzhou and lives in Macao, said he can deeply understand the spiritual essence of the Jinjing Experience that attaches a lot of importance to product quality.

"Jinjiang has advocated quality and branding in its products since the 1990s and promoted high-end industrial production with high quality," said Zhang. The craftsmanship that strives for excellence in Jinjiang, which is administered by Quanzhou, has pushed scientific and technological innovation to higher levels, and created enduring brands and better products and industries in the area, added Zhang.

For natives like Zhang, the Jinjiang Experience is more like the embodiment of the Fujian spirit of winning through hard work and being tolerant of diversity, which has been inherited by every Fujian native living at home or abroad.

Zhang, president of the Fujian Clan Association of Macao, said he expected more opportunities to come to Fujian and hoped that the CPPCC National Committee members from Macao could play an active role in helping strengthen Macao's cooperation with Fujian, especially in the economy and culture.

Li Jiaming, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and chairman of Macao's HN Group Ltd, said he believed that the Jinjiang Experience represents the courage to innovate and assume responsibility. "Besides the local residents, entrepreneurs, and government departments in Jinjiang are also bold to make innovations, which is instructive to Macao," said Li.

Li suggested Quanzhou can integrate diversified cultural elements into its urban planning and enterprise upgrading to boost the city's development in multiple dimensions.

Wu Zhiliang, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and president of the Executive Committee of the Macao Foundation, complimented the Quanzhou Maritime Museum as charming and modern.

He proposed a broadening vision to promote Quanzhou's culture. "The Quanzhou Maritime Museum can include more profound elements to demonstrate the great openness and inclusiveness of Chinese culture as Quanzhou has been home to so many foreigners with different religious beliefs," said Wu.

With similar cultural characteristics, Macao has relatively mature experience in the compilation of historical materials and theoretical research, which can be shared and exchanged with Quanzhou, Wu added.

Wu suggested Quanzhou and Macao should join hands to promote the southern Fujian culture and other elements of the Chinese culture with the support of overseas Chinese in Portuguese-speaking countries, enabling people from the rest of the world to better understand the Chinese culture and China's development.

Chan Meng Kam, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and chairman of the board of Macao's Golden Dragon Group, became emotional when the CPPCC members visited the Quanzhou College of Technology, as he was one of its founders.

Chan, a Jinjiang native himself, founded the college with other Fujian entrepreneurs 10 years ago when his hometown was badly in need of talents. The college is currently a role model among modern occupational schools in Fujian and more than 3,000 graduates are employed each year.

"The college has trained many market-oriented talents who can help boost both the industrial upgrading and digital economy development of Fujian and the diversified economic development of Macao," said Chan.

"I hope the talents could contribute to Macao's cooperation with Fujian and further facilitate the bigger picture of China's national development."