Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor has hailed her region's "young" relationship with Ningxia as "old friends".

"It's been a very fruitful and positive partnership between the two regions," said Taylor, who led a delegation to Ningxia in May, embarking on a four-day journey to further elevate the ties, officially forged in 2017.

"Although our relationship is young, we just feel like we are old friends," she said.

Their packed itinerary took them from cultural heritage sites to modern industries, including the Ningxia Museum and a dairy company.

"Each visit was wonderful, but the Helan Mountains Rock Art certainly left a very deep impression on me," she said, drawing on her background as a history graduate.

"I enjoyed being able to stop for a moment and reach back in time almost 10,000 years to connect with the people that were in that region before. It was magnificent. It's a memory I will hold forever."

The delegation also toured the Xixia Imperial Tombs, which were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July. Taylor showed particular interest in Tomb No 3, according to a staff member who accompanied the group.

"I'm always fascinated as to how heritage is protected and preserved in the areas that I visit," Taylor said.

For Taylor, the historic sites underscored the cultural depth of Ningxia, drawing similarities to her region's scenic attractions.

"Marlborough is also a strong tourism region and I find that often wine regions do have strong tourism," Taylor said, adding that both regions boast quality wine.

"I think the common links would be in wine tourism," said Taylor, envisioning deeper tourism ties.

Fan Huafeng, deputy director-general of the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office, said: "For the next step, both sides will step up efforts to promote tourism resources, encourage more visitors to each other's regions, and strengthen people-to-people ties, so as to deepen the foundation of the sister-region relations," he said.

At the core of the relationship lies the wine industry. Marlborough produces about three-quarters of New Zealand's wine, while Ningxia is one of China's top wine regions.

"Marlborough is very advanced in its wine research and its wine technology. We're also delving into the use of AI in viticulture and wine management," Taylor said.

Fan, emphasizing the sector's role, said: "We use wine as a medium to promote exchanges between winemakers and technicians."

Rural revitalization

"Marlborough is a mature production region. In catering to market demands, especially young consumers, we are strong with our bold innovations. We can learn from each other," Fan said.

Fan, who went along with the delegation in May, said the group visited 15 sites, gaining a panoramic understanding of Ningxia's socioeconomic landscape, from industrial development and rural revitalization to community governance and environmental protection.

It culminated in the signing of a new memorandum of understanding to further deepen the sister-region relationship.

Beyond wine and education, new areas of cooperation have been discussed. But for Taylor, people-to-people exchanges remain central.

"I would quite like to see perhaps some of our young people, even our college students, coming (to Ningxia) for a very short visit to get more experience of the world.… And in the same way, it's important for Ningxia winemakers to see the world," Taylor said.

Looking ahead, Taylor said the two sides may look at aquaculture or more technological exchanges. "I can see that there is a lot of potential for it to grow. We're already discussing future opportunities, areas that we can expand beyond wine and wine education," she said.

"I see it as a relationship which is positive and solid with a very exciting future."

Zhai Fangyi in Beijing contributed to this story.