Luoyang welcomes foreign mayors with Tang dynasty pageantry

By Kan Li

(CNS Luoyang) -- Visiting mayors and other international guests followed a route lined with palace lanterns through Luoyang's Yingtianmen Gate to the sound of court music on Friday evening, at a welcome ceremony inspired by the Tang dynasty.

The ceremony particularly impressed Francesco Leonardo Nelli, an international relations official from the Italian city of Bologna. He was among the guests attending the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue and the seventh International Ancient Capitals Forum held in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province.

The original Yingtianmen gate, known as the "foremost gate of the Sui and Tang dynasties", hosted imperial accession ceremonies, proclamations of new reign eras, general amnesties and banquets. Today, the site is a landmark for night-time sightseeing.

Each evening, visitors in hanfu, traditional Chinese dress, swirl their sleeves as photographers capture them under the lights.

Chinese and international guests followed the central axis of the Sui-Tang Luoyang City site, climbing towers and entering halls. In a plaza lined with performers dressed as Tang palace attendants, Nelli and his colleague Stefano Mazzetti took photographs and posed together.

"The welcome ceremony was spectacular. It really drew you in," said Julio Zamora, mayor of Tigre in Argentina.

From the gate tower, guests looked down on the illuminated plaza and the crowds below. Nelli pulled fellow guests close for a selfie, with the brightly lit Tiantang and Mingtang halls in the background.

On the tower platform, dancers in traditional jackets and skirts with brocade sashes alternated between the flowing movements of Tang court dance and brisk contemporary choreography.

"Welcome to Luoyang," the dancers called out, taking turns to high-five the guests. International visitors and tourists recorded the scene.

Nelli praised the hospitality of Luoyang's residents and the depth of its cultural heritage. "Over the next few days, I'll take a good look around the city and then share its beauty with people back home," he said.

At the Tiantang and Mingtang halls, a music-and-dance performance titled "The Tang Dynasty at Its Height" used the halls as its setting to evoke the dynasty's grandeur and ceremonial traditions.

After learning about the history of Sui and Tang Luoyang, Tang ritual and musical traditions, and court culture, the visitors discussed connections between their cultures.

Steven H. Back, the Hungarian National Museum's representative in China, said Luoyang was one of China's important ancient capitals and offered something new on every visit. He hoped the gathering would create more opportunities for exchange and mutual learning.

Aimilia Tziva, deputy mayor of Iraklio in Greece's Attica region, said exchanges between cities and cultures were only a beginning. The two cities and their residents should learn about and understand each other's history and build cultural bridges, she said.