The Swedish tall ship Gotheborg leaves Shanghai on Saturday morning after a two-month visit to the city. About 83,000 people went on board to sample the Scandinavian sailing culture.

 

The Gotheborg, a replica of an old Swedish merchant vessel that used to sail the seas between Europe and the Orient, left Shanghai on Saturday morning after a two-month visit to the city.

 

During its stay, 83,000 visitors toured the tall ship.

 

The Gotheborg was sent off with a farewell ceremony attended by Shanghai Vice Mayor Tang Dengjie and Goran Johansson, mayor of Gothenburg, Sweden.

 

Johansson expressed gratitude to city government and Shanghai's people for allowing Sweden to put the ship and the country's culture on display at the local port.

 

"We'll come here a second and a third time, as the visit was one of profound significance," Johansson said.

 

Tang welcomed the ship to return to the Huangpu River when Shanghai hosts the 2010 World Expo.

 

At the ceremony, students from Shanghai University presented an oil painting, "The Gotheborg and Shanghai," to the Swedish port, which has been Shanghai's sister city for 20 years.

 

Crew members waved farewell to the crowds gathered on the riverbank as the ship departed.

 

"I miss my hometown very much, but I also don't want to say goodbye to Shanghai," said Alexandra Sewell, a young sailor who joined the crew this year.

 

The Gotheborg also gave city maritime buffs remarkable memories.

 

"It was my first time to see such a grand sailing ship, and I was amazed by its refined old-style decorations," said Su Jing, a 29-year-old middle school teacher.

 

The vessel is a replica of a Swedish merchant ship that mysteriously sank just off the Swedish coast 260 years ago on its way home from a trip to China.

 

The ship is now heading off to Zhoushan, an island in Zhejiang Province, and will sail to Hong Kong next month. It is expected to be back in Sweden in August after making port calls in Singapore and Malaysia.

 

(Shanghai Daily October 30, 2006)