Belgium is the home of the Smurfs.

This should be the most famous Belgian image in China, and it was the first batch of overseas animations introduced by China in the 80s.

In addition, Belgium is famous for its guns......

As the world knows, Belgium is a small domestic famous gun, and the guns made in this country are still the top in the world in terms of performance.

Ye Chao didn't want to know more about this, because he didn't do the arms business, and he didn't have the same love for guns as Tang Ru. He was interested in diamonds......

Therefore, after visiting Brussels, he did not mess with flowers here, but after having had enough, he went to another city in Belgium - Antwerp, known as the city of diamonds.

Antwerp, Belgium, is known as the "diamond capital of the world".

Eight out of every 10 uncut diamonds in the world are treated in Antwerp, and more than half of the world's polished diamonds come from Antwerp.

Antwerp's total turnover in diamond trading last year was about $36 billion, accounting for 7% of Belgium's total exports. But visitors don't expect that behind these glittering diamond jewels, Antwerp's status as the diamond capital of the world has been challenged from many sides for centuries, and it can no longer rest easy on the throne of the world's diamond capital.

Antwerp, located on the banks of the Scheldt River in northwestern Belgium, is Belgium's largest port and an important industrial city, with an area of 140 square kilometers and a population of 457,000 (January 2005), most of whom speak the Dutch regional dialect.

Antwerp is one of Europe's most famous cultural centers, the birthplace of Robbins and von Dijk, and a world-famous tourist city.

People are attracted by its three major attractions: first, the well-preserved old buildings of the old city full of medieval atmosphere, second, the mysterious diamond processing and trading, third, the world-renowned painting art and numerous museums, including the Robbins House Museum, the Royal Museum of Art, the National Maritime Museum and the Diamond Museum.

Antwerp is the second largest city in Belgium, the second largest port in Europe, the fourth largest port in the world, and the world's largest diamond processing and trade center, with a population of 500,000, the most densely populated area in Europe.

Most citizens of Antwerp believe that their city's name derives from the Dutch word for handerpen, and according to legend, a giant in ancient times who collected a high toll from passing captains cut off the hands of the young warrior Brabo.

In the center of the Grote Market is a bronze statue of Brabo throwing a giant with a severed palm to the Scheldt River, a sign of the restoration of the freedom of the Scheldt River.

But legend is no substitute for history, and Antwerp is actually a symbol of the city's core formed by the land protruding into the water. Historically, it was one of the richest cities in Europe. To this day, it remains the world's largest diamond trading center, with 1,600 diamond companies (mainly Jewish-run) throughout the city, as well as various diamond-related museums and showrooms.

Antwerp's churches are one of the city's most fascinating places, where the philosophers relied on paintings to bring the story of the Bible to life.

Therefore, when visiting Antwerp, you must visit the local church, which can bring you artistic enjoyment. Of course, another must-see for visitors to Antwerp is Antwerp's Diamond City, located next to the train station, which is the largest diamond distribution center in Europe and is known as the world's best diamond cutter.

Antwerp is a world-famous city to visit.

People are attracted by its three major attractions: the well-preserved old buildings of the old city full of medieval atmosphere, the mysterious diamond processing and trading, and the world-renowned painting art and numerous museums.

Antwerp is an important Belgian port city and the capital of the Flemish region, as well as a famous cultural center in Europe. The Diamond City is one of Europe's largest diamond hubs, and the Opera House and the Rubens Museum are also famous.

It is believed that Germanic tribes had settled in Antwerp in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD and were subsequently attacked

During the reign of Charlemagne, Antwer built a military fortress with Christian saints visiting.

Antwerp is located in the north of the country on the lower reaches of the Scheldt River. It is about 90 kilometers away from the mouth of the sea in the west, and the flat tide water depth of the incoming channel is 14 meters, and the 100,000-ton sea vessels can enter and leave the port freely. 127 nautical miles to the port of Calais, 177 nautical miles to the port of Tilbury, 117 nautical miles to the port of Rotterdam and 383 nautical miles to Hamburg.

There are railways, highways, river transports to Brussels, Liège and other industrial and commercial cities, as well as international airports.

The port area is mainly distributed around the inland waters on the right bank of the river, with a water area of 1,315 hectares and more than 20 large and small harbor basins.

The main basins are the Canal Harbor Basin and the Hanseatic Harbor Basin, which run parallel to the river, and the Delvat, Chercher, Leopold, and No. 4, 5, and 6 harbor basins that extend eastward.

The harbours are connected to each other and are connected to the Scheldt River by four locks, including Berendrecht and Bordway. There are nearly 300 ocean-going berths around the above port basin, including about 80 berths for containers, ro-ro ships and general cargo, and the port of Antwerp is mainly distributed in Delvat, Chercher and No. 6 port basins.

There are more than 20 tanker berths, mainly distributed in the chemical terminals on the northwest and southeast banks of the 4th harbor basin on the west bank of the southern section of the Hanseatic port, the ore, coal and phosphate fertilizer terminals on the east bank of the Hanseatic harbor pool and the northwest shore of the port del watt, and the grain terminal on the north bank of the 6th harbor pool.

In addition to the ocean-going port area, there are more than 100 offshore and inland port basin areas, and the port area is currently developing inland on the left bank.

There are about 1,380 hectares of wharves and 3,125 hectares of factories in the port. It ranks third in Europe and ranks 14th in the world with a container throughput of 1.55 million TEUs. Antwerp is located on the southern flank of the Rhine Delta, with a well-developed inland river network connecting with the national and European river networks, as well as a well-developed land transport network, with more than 300 regular freight lines on the road and 100 daily rail trains to major European cities.

The port location and superior natural conditions in the center of Western Europe, perfect port facilities, make it play an ideal role as a transit port in international trade, with an average of 1,771 international cargo ships calling here every year, connecting more than 800 ports to the outside world.

Antwerp is the second largest economic center in Belgium. There are numerous commercial establishments, import and export trading companies, banks, insurance companies and transportation companies.

Important industrial sectors include shipbuilding, machinery, automobiles, electronics, photographic equipment, non-ferrous metallurgy, oil refining, petrochemicals, textiles, food processing, etc. The world's largest diamond processing and trading centre, with the vast majority of processed diamonds exported, accounting for 6.5 per cent of Belgium's total exports.

A famous cultural center in Europe. The birthplace of the famous artists Robbins and von Dirk. There are the Robbins House Museum, the Royal Museum of Art, the National Maritime Museum, and the Diamond Museum.

There are also the Conservatory, the School of Commerce, the Royal Flemish Opera House, the Royal Dutch Theatre, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the zoo with the largest preserved species and number of animals in Europe (1834).

Antwerp has produced many outstanding artists, such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anton Van Dick, Jacob Jordens, Quan Bruegel and Christoph Planting. Antwerp is famous for its opera house and the Rubens Museum.

The city of Antwerp, Belgium, a World Heritage Site, is unique for urban planning, the preservation of the old city and the art of urban sculpture. Anderwerp is an old cultural city, with its town square and town hall dating back more than 100 years, where the current mayor and councillors are located.

Most of the buildings in the old town are three- to four-storey brick buildings, which are well preserved. The 10-storey brick church building is impressive.

The facades of the houses in the streets of the city are quite local.

The streets are wide and paved with stones, and visitors can enjoy the changing houses and streetscapes on both sides of the street from horse-drawn carriages.

Antwerp is famous for its unique open-air sculptures.

Beautifully carved sculptures can be found everywhere in the streets, and the open-air sculpture park here is a veritable open-air sculpture museum, when people stroll through this tree-lined park, admiring these sculptures in various shapes, it is really a very tasteful cultural edification.

Marilyn Monroe has a classic lyric: "Diamonds are a woman's best friend." ”

When he arrived in Antwerp, Belgium, Ye Chao realized the power of diamonds. Walking down the street, you will often meet a female tourist who is happy to take a few steps and hold out her hand to take a closer look, needless to say that she must have just bought a diamond ring.

There are also those who are worried and bury their heads in the calculator, she must have insufficient funds to buy diamonds.

No wonder a sign in front of a jewelry store says, "There are only two kinds of women in Antwerp – those who have bought diamonds and those who have not." ”

A local jewelry store called Diamond House was the first to offer a free Hilton hotel suite to its customers. They followed suit, and today it has become an unwritten rule.

The basic procedure for buying a diamond is as follows: two days before departure, you call the local jeweler and tell them what kind of diamond you want to buy, and explain the size, color, and cut.

When you arrive in Belgium, the boss will send a car to take you to the jewelry store, where he has selected a few diamonds in advance, and if there is one you like, you can sell it immediately.

At the same time, you can also choose the style of the jewelry, and the jeweler will send the gemstone to the processing workshop in front of you.

You will then be driven to the Hilton Hotel for a rest.

The next day, you can go sightseeing, and when the diamond is set (about two or three days), you will be picked up by a car to try it on. If the size doesn't fit, you'll go back to Hilton and stay in a free suite.

The reason why "conflict-free" diamonds are so expensive is that Jewish traders are confident in their diamonds and know that you will be captivated. Here customers can buy diamonds of all ages, various cuts, different varieties and styles.

Antwerp's diamond artisans are particularly renowned for their skill and discernment, as well as their ability to make the right trade-offs.

This is where the term "Anterp cut" comes from.

Another reason customers love Antwerp is that every diamond here is a "conflict-free" diamond protected by the United Nations.

In other words, the money earned from the sale of diamonds is not used for violent, military and terrorist activities. So when you buy a diamond, you will also get a guarantee that your hard-earned money will not be used for bad purposes.

All of this, combined with a three-fold discount on other places, is not tempting.

If you can't afford it, there's plenty of exhibition centres and jewellery shop windows in Antwerp to keep your eyes peeled for. The exhibition center that impressed me the most was called the "Diamond Mile".

Through the glass window, you can see the cutter and the marquetry master working meticulously, so focused that they rarely blink their eyes.

The masters here are all top masters, and the prices are also top-notch. I saw a pattern pin made of diamonds and small gemstones, and I was shocked when I saw the price — $39,500.

Antwerp has long attracted diamond dealers from all over the world because of its convenient infrastructure, high level of professionalism and good quality of life.

However, these are no longer enough to attract diamond dealers from all over the world, as they can be found elsewhere and offer more favourable conditions than Antwerp.

Cities like Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong in China are increasingly taking a share of the diamond trade from Antwerp. They are both geographically close to India and Chinese mainland, two of the fastest-growing consumer markets.

Dubai exported $1 billion of rough uncut diamonds to Antwerp last year.

In addition, the structure of the diamond trade in Antwerp itself has changed considerably over the past 30 years.

Since the 15th century, the diamond trade in Antwerp has been controlled by Jews. But since the arrival of Indians in the 70s of the last century, the situation has gradually changed. Today, the Indians control more than 60% of the Antwerp diamond market, and the Jewish market is only about 30%.

In this context, a growing number of young people in Jewish families who have traditionally dealt in diamonds have had to abandon their ancestral business, which has been passed down for generations, in favor of other industries. Against this backdrop, about 90% of Antwerp's diamond production, including the cutting and polishing of roughs, has moved to India, where labour costs are much lower than in Belgium.

With the transfer of production comes the loss of professional talent.

Thirty years ago, Antwerp had 25,000 highly qualified diamond polishers, but today there are only about 1,700 left.

In the face of these challenges, the Antwerp diamond industry has begun to respond. The Diamond High Council, which represents the interests of Antwerp's 1,600 diamond companies, has begun plans to expand its diamond sales services.

The aim of this program is to provide diamond dealers with a "one-stop-shop" in Antwerp, from selection to processing to finished products. And some companies in Antwerp are ready to participate in the entire process, from mining to the sale of finished diamonds.

In addition, since last year, the "Diamond High Council" of Antwerp has actively promoted the establishment of the "Antwerp Diamond" brand, striving to make it a symbol of diamond quality assurance in the world.

At the same time, the High Diamond Council is negotiating with the Belgian government to make the import and export of diamonds smoother.

But there are also those who wonder if it is too late for Antwerp to act to defend its status as the diamond capital of the world.

In 1950, there were only four diamond trading centers in the world, all of which were in Antwerp. And now, there are 24 diamond centers in the world. An industry insider who has been involved in the diamond trade in Antwerp for many years lamented that Antwerp can only be one of the world's diamond centers in the future, and can no longer be the diamond capital of the world.

Even so, if one or two important diamond companies were to leave Antwerp, it could have a domino effect that would lead to the departure of a large number of diamond companies. Antwerp's status as the diamond capital of the world will be a thing of the past.

This is the most worrying situation for many Antwerp diamond dealers.

But there are also those who wonder if it is too late for Antwerp to act to defend its status as the diamond capital of the world.

In 950, there were only four diamond trading centers in the world, all of which were in Antwerp. And now, there are 24 diamond centers in the world. An industry insider who has been involved in the diamond trade in Antwerp for many years lamented that Antwerp can only be one of the world's diamond centers in the future, and can no longer be the diamond capital of the world.

Even so, if one or two important diamond companies were to leave Antwerp, it could have a domino effect that would lead to the departure of a large number of diamond companies.

Antwerp's status as the diamond capital of the world will be a thing of the past.

This is the most worrying situation for many Antwerp diamond dealers.

Antwerp's Chinatown was named in 2001 in the heart of Antwerp and was the first officially named Chinatown in Belgium.

The streets of Chinatown are lined with more than 40 Chinese companies and trading houses.

It is not only a place for overseas Chinese to gather and shop, but also a place for local residents to choose and shop for cheap Chinese goods and taste the Chinese cultural atmosphere.

Merchants and tourists have gradually become the main consumer groups here, and they come here to taste the delicious taste of Chinese food or experience the charm of oriental culture.

In 2006, a typical Chinese-style archway was officially built in Chinatown in Antwerp, Belgium, which was the first time that one of the archways symbolizing traditional Chinese culture was settled in Belgium's largest port city.

This archway will be built at the intersection of Chinatown, facing the central railway station square of Antwerp, hoping to become a landmark building in Antwerp after completion, in order to win more merchants and tourists to invest and tourism in the famous European city of Antwerp, and promote economic development.

In the "Shopping Guide" section of the official website of Antwerp, Belgium, Antwerp's Chinatown is recommended as a place worth visiting. Chinatown has become a unique sight that has brought commercial prosperity and tourism boom to the city.