Hyderabad: Qingdao’s only twin city within the SCO ambit

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Hyderabad, the capital of India’s southern Telengana state, has two reasons to celebrate as China’s eastern coastal city of Qingdao hosts the 18th annual leadership summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this weekend.

Firstly, Hyderabad is the only twin city of Qingdao located in another SCO member state. And secondly, Hyderabad’s own trade and cultural linkages with Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and other West and Central Asian countries are a testimony to the city’s historic connections in a region that the SCO aspires to revive and celebrate.

Related story: Qingdao ready for the 2018 SCO Summit

Qingdao and Hyderabad were officially declared twins during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to China in May 2015. Subsequently India, along with Pakistan, was included as full members in the SCO last year, which effectively meant that since then, Qingdao for the first time had a twin city within the organization’s ambit.

The other cities twinned with Qingdao are Long Beach, California (US), Thousand Oaks, California (US) and Adelaide (Australia). While Long Beach was first to pair with the Chinese city in 1985, both Adelaide and Thousand Oaks became Qingdao’s twins in 2014.

According to latest estimates Hyderabad is currently the fourth largest contributor to India's overall gross domestic product. The city was also ranked fifth in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2017 list of most dynamic cities in the world.

With Qingdao’s trade with the rest of the world last year pegged at 80 billion US dollars, there already seems to be an immense potential of collaboration between the twin cities.

Similar historic path

Related story: A tour into Qingdao’s history

Although Hyderabad was the last to be officially paired with Qingdao, they have much in common in terms of history.

Both the cities have millennia-old histories and have witnessed somewhat similar journey as cities with imperial pasts, followed by a turbulent colonial eras and subsequently emerging as modern urban hubs in their respective countries

The region where Qingdao is located today was known as Jiao’ao when it was administered by the Qing Dynasty from 17th century to much of 19th century.

A period of 52 years beginning 1897 saw the city trading hands between colonial powers of Germany and Japan and also briefly serving as the headquarters of the Western Pacific Fleet of the US Navy after the World War II.

On June 2, 1949, the Chinese army entered Qingdao and the city was re-united with the Chinese mainland. The last three decades of rapid progress has seen Qingdao developing as a modern port city and industrial and manufacturing hub.

A general aerial view of Qingdao city, in China's eastern Shandong Province. /VCG Photo

Qingdao’s Indian twin has witnessed comparable upheavals. The region comprising the city and its surroundings was known as Golkonda and was ruled by India’s Chalukya and Kakatiya dynasties between 6th and 14th centuries before falling to a number of other dynasties with Turko-Afghan and Iranian lineages.

The city got the name Hyderabad in the late 16th century while under the Qutb Shahi dynasty and soon became a cultural hub, drawing men of letters from around the world. In the late 17th century, it became part of the Mughal Empire but eventually got an autonomous status in 1724 under the Nizam (governor) of Hyderabad.

The city expanded its territories under the Nizam and emerged as the largest and also the richest princely state in India during the British colonial period, with an area greater than England, Scotland and Wales. The state also had its own currency, railways and postal system. After India gained independence in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad declared his intention to remain independent.

One September 16, 1948, the Indian army moved into Hyderabad and within days the Nizam’s forces surrendered and Hyderabad acceded to India.

‍'City of Pearls' to 'Genome Valley'

Visitors look at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Light Utility Helicopters on display at an exhibitors venue at the India Aviation 2014 airshow at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad on March 14, 2014. /VCG Photo

Just like its Chinese twin, Hyderabad has witnessed a rapid transformation through the last few decades and is now a major industrial center of India, with homes to major research and financial institutions such as Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, the National Geophysical Research Institute and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology.

As Hyderabad grew into a hub for the country’s burgeoning pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the 1990s, the city earned the name of India’s ‘Genome Valley’. The city has also established special economic zones for the booming information technology sector.

Even before its modernization, Hyderabad had made its mark as a historic and international center for pearl and diamond trading. Kohinoor, believed to be one of the largest cut diamonds in the world and part of the British Crown Jewels, was mined in Golconda, near Hyderabad.

A general view of the night bazaar in Hyderabad, India. /VCG Photo

Hyderabad has traditionally been known as the ‘City of Pearls’ and has traded with Iran, Turkey and other Western and Central Asian countries for centuries.

Between 16th and 18th century, Hyderabad was also known to be an important center for Islamic studies and Persian and Turkic languages. Owing to such historic linkages, the city became a melting pot of culture and traditions. The Western and Central Asian influence is clearly evident in the city’s architecture, cuisine, language and its famous bazaars.

Hyderabad is one city that will certainly be looking at reviving its past glory through opportunities generated through collaborative projects under the SCO’s vision. It will be intently looking at its Chinese twin city this weekend to follow the outcome of the much talked about summit.

[Cover Photo:This combination of two photos show Hyderabad's iconic Charminar monument and Qingdao's May 4th Square lit up in the night. /VCG Photo]

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