Deepening friendship

Among the 20 experts from the Hebei institute, Ci was the one who stayed in Nepal the longest. From 2016 to 2024, he stayed in the country for a total of more than 1,000 days.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, I stayed in Kathmandu continuously for more than 14 months, when I deeply experienced the local culture and the friendliness of the local people," Ci said.

He lived in a rented apartment in a residential community. "At the time, the neighbors' friendliness made me feel less lonely and homesick," he said, adding that he often went to the terrace to play with his neighbors' children.

"What impressed me most was that one of my neighbors often went to Guangzhou in Guangdong province for business. Once, he and his friends had a party on the rooftop, and they invited me. I gave him a bottle of Chinese wine and cigarettes that I brought from my hometown," Ci said, adding that they were very happy because these products from China are very popular locally.

His colleague Sun Rongfen, who went to Nepal six times between 2016 and 2024 and stayed a total of over 160 days there, shared the same sentiment.

"My Nepalese friend told me recently that my female neighbor's gesture of putting a red dot on my forehead symbolized blessings and divine favor, signifying luck, good health and longevity," Sun said.

The Nepalese friend she mentioned was a cherished one.

Sirish Bhatt was a teacher at a local university in Nepal, with a major in architecture.

"In early 2017, our design proposal was completed and needed to be reviewed by local experts. However, we couldn't speak Nepali and were not proficient in English. Despite having translators, we still struggled with professional architectural expressions," Sun recalled.

As one of the reviewing experts, Bhatt, who has lived and studied in China, was fluent in Chinese and English.

"She provided us with significant assistance in our communication with Nepal's Department of Archaeology and the English articulation of our proposal," Sun said.

After that, she would meet Bhatt almost on every work trip to Nepal. "We either dined out at her invitation or I hosted her in my apartment, treating her to Chinese cuisine that I made," Sun recalled.

"Through the deep cooperation between China and Nepal, the Basantapur Tower complex could be sustainably restored, revitalizing it with new energy," said head of the Hebei institute Liu Zhongwei, adding that the exchange and mutual learning continue to deepen the friendship between the people of the two countries.

According to Liu, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the renowned Nepalese architect Arniko led a group of craftsmen to China, to design and oversee the construction of magnificent buildings such as the White Dagoba of Miaoying Temple in Beijing.

"Over 700 years later, ancient architecture experts from China went to Nepal and shared the conservation experience of China, further deepening ties between the two countries and peoples," Liu said.