A Canadian teacher sang Beijing Opera; a British student did Tai Chi; a German writer performed a martial arts routine. These were just some of the amazing performances that were put on at the 2013 Cultural Communication Party for Foreigners in Wuhan on April 25. The party celebrated the one year anniversary of the Home in Wuhan project. No matter where the guests were from, they felt like they were a part of the city at the party.
Last year, the Wuhan municipal government launched the Home in Wuhan project for foreigners in Wuhan. Last month, the local government issued an "Internationalization Enhancement Program （2013-2016）", a plan that aims to make the city a gateway for international exchange in Central China by 2016.
This year, the Home in Wuhan project will be expanded. Britain has decided to build a consulate general in Wuhan, and Japan will build a consulate representative office in the city. The city plans to launch a government web portal in Japanese, German, Spanish, and other foreign languages.
"Wuhan is nearly as international as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou," said President Kimiyasu Nakamura of the Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. while holding talks with 17 foreign experts and mayor Tang Liangzhi. It was Mr. Nakamura's advice that gave birth to the Home in Wuhan project in the first place. Mr. Nakamura now feels that the city has made progress in improving the city's medical services for foreigners and its trade infrastructure.
After living here for four years, the Consul General of France in Wuhan, Serge Lavroff, said that he feels like he has become a citizen here and is proud to live here. He advised the city to build a comprehensive medical service information system for foreigners. The Consul General of South Korea in Wuhan, Han Gwangsup, hopes that citizens of Wuhan will be more careful when it comes to obeying traffic regulations. The Consul General of the U.S. in Wuhan, Vlad Lipschutz, believes that the city should create an English news application for mobile devices as soon as possible. 
Mayor Tang Liangzhi wrote down the 12 pieces of advice offered by the foreign experts and said that all of the advice would be acted on. He also said that Wuhan is welcoming in a golden era of fast development and internationalization. More than 1,000 foreign experts and more than 4,400 foreign enterprises have come to Wuhan. More talented individuals from overseas will come to the city. Wuhan will do its best to create a good environment for them and increase the "happiness index" for foreigners living in the city. After the talks, the mayor and his foreign guests watched performances; the city also sent presents, which included a special issue of the Changjiang Weekly and some English maps for foreign representatives.