As autumn begins, visitors to Henan Museum are welcomed by a special exhibition featuring nearly 1,000 exquisite pieces of Polish amber. Running for three months, the "Gazing at Time—Polish Amber Culture and Art Exhibition" offers a panoramic view of the history and diverse values of Baltic amber. Serving as a "messenger of time and space", amber builds a bridge of cultural dialogue between China and Poland. Earlier, the "China Tang tri-colored glazed pottery exhibition" held in Poland, also received an enthusiastic response.

This resonance between Eastern and Western civilizations illustrates a vivid chapter of Henan–Poland cooperation. Situated at the heart of Europe, Poland is where the ancient Silk Road intersected with the Amber Road. With their profound cultural traditions and similar geographic advantages, Henan and Poland, though separated by long distance, have continued to draw closer to one another.

Poland's vision of developing itself into a European transportation and logistics hub aligns well with Henan's role as one of China's major integrated transport centers. Years of dialogue and cooperation have borne fruit in rail logistics. In January 2021, a freight train loading 41 containers departed from Katowice, Poland, and arrived at Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, marking the opening of the first China–Europe freight rail route directly linking China with Central and Eastern Europe. The route has enabled high-quality products from Henan to reach European markets, while Polish cheese, juice and ham have made their way to family tables in Henan.

Enhanced international logistics have further deepened exchanges in all fields. Guided by the Belt and Road Initiative and the China–Central and Eastern European Countries cooperation mechanism, Henan and Poland have advanced cooperation in trade, sister-city ties, education, culture and tourism, yielding fruitful results.

In Poland, Henan enterprises are active across a wide range of sectors. "WH Group's Polish subsidiary employs 14,000 people and 11 meat processing plants, with an annual output of 280,000 tons of meat products and sales of 2.8 billion U.S. dollars, making it the largest integrated meat processing enterprise in Poland," said Wen Junjie, deputy general manager of the Foreign Trade Division of Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co., Ltd. He noted that the company works with local farmers to develop pig and poultry farming and expand into feed production, thereby promoting local agricultural development. According to Yu Mengsi, customer manager of Yutong Bus Co., Ltd., "So far, Yutong has delivered 140 E-series and U-series electric buses to Poland, which have been well received by clients. Looking forward, we aim to use Poland as a foothold to extend further into Eastern Europe."

"Poland, as a member of the European Union and an important hub of the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe, attracts us with its unique geographic location and vast market potential," said Li Wei, general manager of Henan Weituo Trading Co., Ltd. "Goods shipped from Poland can reach 90 percent of European countries within 24 hours, laying a solid foundation for advancing Henan–Poland economic and trade cooperation and for exploring the European market." Today, bilateral trade covers a wide range of fields including automobiles, food, power and aluminum.

Polish partners also value their ties with Henan. Jaroslaw Stawiarski, Governor of Poland's Lublin Province, said during the 2023 second "Belt and Road" (Henan) International Agricultural Cooperation Expo that, since establishing sister-province relations in 2008, the ties between Lublin and Henan have steadily deepened. Henan's large economy and vast market, along with its strengths in agriculture and logistics, make it a promising partner. The two sides look forward to further strengthening their friendship and expanding cooperation.

Lublin Province remains Henan's only sister-province partner in Poland. In recent years, the two sides have engaged in frequent exchanges and hosted many industrial and cultural cooperation activities. In 2020, Henan donated 50,000 masks and 10,000 sets of protective clothing to Lublin to help combat COVID-19. The then head of the province's International Cooperation Office said that the assistance during difficult times proved that Henan is indeed a trustworthy friend.

True friendship is built on mutual trust and sincerity. From Henan to Poland, encounters across mountains and seas continue, and the story of mutual journeying between Henan and Poland is still unfolding.

从中原腹地到欧洲心脏——河南与波兰的双向奔赴

初秋，走进河南博物院，一场特别的展览，让观众在近千件波兰琥珀珍品中一眼万年。“凝望时光——波兰琥珀文化艺术展”将在此展出3个月，全景呈现波罗的海琥珀的文明轨迹与多元价值，通过琥珀这一“时空信使”，构建中波两国文明对话的桥梁。此前，在波兰举办的“盛世风华——河南洛阳唐三彩文物展”，同样在当地反响热烈。

这是东西方文明的奇妙共鸣，也是河南与波兰合作的生动一角。波兰位于欧洲的心脏地带，是古丝绸之路和琥珀之路的交会点。同样深厚的历史文化、相似的地理区位特点，让相隔万重山水的河南与波兰越走越近、越走越亲。

波兰致力于打造覆盖欧洲的交通枢纽和物流中心，这与作为全国重要综合性交通枢纽的河南的发展方向不谋而合。经过多年对接洽谈，两地在铁路物流领域携手，让区位交通优势充分释放。2021年1月，一趟自波兰卡托维兹发出的满载41组集装箱的列车穿越欧亚大陆，缓缓开进郑州，标志着第一条从中国直达中东欧国家的中欧班列线路开通。河南的优质商品打开了销往欧洲的大门，来自波兰的奶酪、果汁、火腿等也被端上河南百姓的餐桌。

国际物流通达带动交流全面深化。在共建“一带一路”倡议、中国—中东欧国家合作机制引领下，河南与波兰在经贸、友城、教育、文化旅游等方面合作不断开花结果。

在波兰，从田畴阡陌到城市街巷，都活跃着河南企业的身影。“万洲国际波兰公司拥有1.4万名员工、11个肉类加工厂，每年肉制品产量28万吨，销售收入28亿美元，已成为波兰最大的肉类联合加工企业。”河南双汇投资发展股份有限公司外贸事业部副总经理温俊杰说，公司与当地农民合作发展生猪和肉鸡养殖产业，同时拓展饲料产业，带动当地农业发展。宇通客车股份有限公司波兰客户经理余梦思介绍说：“目前宇通已向波兰交付E系列和U系列纯电产品140台，产品表现得到客户认可。未来将以波兰为支点，继续开拓东欧市场。”

“波兰作为欧盟成员国和共建‘一带一路’倡议在欧洲的重要节点国家，以其独特的地理位置和广阔的市场潜力吸引了我们。”河南韦拓商贸有限公司总经理李巍说，从波兰发出的货品在24小时内能抵达90%的欧洲国家，这为他们发展对波经贸合作以及开拓欧洲市场奠定了坚实基础。如今，河南与波兰的经贸合作涵盖汽车、食品、电力、铝材等多个领域。

波兰同样看好与河南的合作前景。“两省自2008年结好以来，关系不断升温。河南经济体量大、市场空间广，在农业、物流等方面有显著优势，我们期待与河南继续巩固友谊，并积极开展更深层次的合作。”2023年，波兰卢布林省省长斯塔维亚尔斯基专程来豫参加第二届“一带一路”（河南）国际农业合作博览会，在会后接受本报记者专访时如是评价。

卢布林省是河南在波兰唯一结为友好省际关系的省份。近年来，双方政府间互访频繁，并举办了多场产业对接和人文交流活动。2020年，河南向卢布林省捐赠5万只口罩和1万套防护服，帮助其抗击新冠肺炎疫情。“艰难时期的帮助，更证明了河南省是我们值得信赖的朋友。”时任卢布林省政府国际合作办公室主任伊莎贝拉·什切斯纳-科瓦尔奇克说。

以心相交，方成久远。从中原腹地到欧洲心脏，跨越山海的相遇不断上演，双向奔赴的故事未完待续。（中文来源/河南日报 记者/沈剑奇 王歌 英文编译/童林 英文审校/焦丹）

Web editors: Shen Jianqi, Li Siyao