“The two natural wonders have not only become a symbol of our friendly relations, but also a cultural bridge connecting two places,” Walter Semperboni, mayor of Valbondione in the Italian province of Bergamo, highlighted the waterfall-linked friendship between China and Italy in a recent letter. This connection was formalized in December 2020 during the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Italy diplomatic relations, when the Jiulong Waterfalls in Luoping County, Qujing City, southwestern China’s Yunnan Province and Italy’s Serio Falls near Valbondione were officially twinned. “These waterfalls constitute natural bridges for exchanges and cooperation,” said Lorenzo Riccardi, president of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce. On August 7, 2023, Riccardi represented the government of Valbondione to unveil a friendship monument commemorating the pact between the twin waterfalls…