Spanish Ambassador to China Rafael Dezcallar delivers a speech at the event. Photo: Courtesy of Miguel de Cervantes Library Shanghai

At downtown Shanghai's Nanjing Road West metro station on November 27, passenger Zhang Yi stared at a light box advertisement placed on the station's walls. There was a huge photo of Salto ángel (Angel Falls), one of Venezuela's renowned scenic spots.

Zhang curiously examined the photo and read the four words on the left: Joropo (a Venezuelan style dance), Arepa (a flat round cornmeal cake), Canaima (a national park) and Béisbol (baseball). 

These words compelled her to visualize walking through the streets of Caracas. "I can't help but start to imagine what this distant country is like," she told the Global Times.

A closer look

The Venezuela light box does not shine alone. There are 12 in total depicting the beauty and culture of 12 different Spanish-speaking countries. Each one contains a photo next to four words in Chinese and Spanish giving viewers a glimpse of the country's heritage.

These light boxes are part of an exhibition named "Your Spanish Suitcase," being jointly held by Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Shanghai Shentong Metro Group and Instituto Cervantes.

"Through this exhibition, we hope passengers can get to know about the charms of our Spanish-speaking countries, including their historical and cultural heritages, traditional customs and cuisines," said Spanish Ambassador to China Rafael Dezcallar in his speech at the exhibition's opening ceremony on November 25.

The light boxes spread across  12 of Shanghai's busiest metro stations with Spain represented at Changshu Road station, Argentina at Nanjing Road East station, Chili at Xintiandi station, Colombia at Shaanxi Road South station, Costa Rica at Lujiazui station, Cuba at Hongqiao Road station, Ecuador at Loushanguan Road station, Mexico at Yili Road station, Panama at People's Square station, Peru at Jing'an Temple station, Uruguay at Huangpi Road South station, and Venezuela at Nanjing Road West station.

Passengers who visit the 12 downtown Shanghai metro stations up until December 5 can enjoy the exhibit and its unique attractions up close. By scanning the QR code on each light box, they can use their phones to listen to recordings of Shanghai's radio hosts introducing each country's customs and practices.

The event offers gifts to lucky passengers. By visiting these light boxes and scanning their QR codes, participants are eligible to receive prizes from the 12 Spanish-speaking countries, including Mexican tequila, Uruguayan amethyst, Peruvian pisco and Spanish wines. Among the gifts is a set of "Your Spanish Suitcase" themed commemorative tickets issued by Shanghai Shentong Metro Group.

The biggest prize, a round trip flight from Shanghai to any Latin American country via Madrid, will be offered to a passenger who visits all of the 12 light boxes.

Light boxes on display in Shanghai metro stations Photo: Courtesy of Miguel de Cervantes Library Shanghai

Spanish exploration

As the second most spoken language in the world, as well as one of the UN's official languages, Spanish has nearly 600 million speakers worldwide. 

"With different accents, various ways of expressions and lots of loanwords, the language shows the vitality of cultural integration," Dezcallar said in his speech.

The 12 participating Spanish-speaking countries are thousands of miles away from China, but attract Chinese travelers with their vibrant ethnic customs, rich history and culture that are quite different from China, said a press release of the exhibition's opening ceremony.

Passenger Ali (pseudonym) came across the Costa Rica light box at Lujiazui metro station on the morning of November 27. A photo of a Costa Rica's purple hummingbird featured in the light box piqued his interest. 

"I love nature, and I love traveling," he told the Global Times. "Since most people around have traveled to Europe, Australia or the US, it must be very exciting for me to have a different trip to this faraway Latin American country, enjoying a fresh and distinct opportunity for exploration."