Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's town hall and the sculpture of Perseus With the Head of Medusa (1554). Du Xiaoying/China Daily

While China's Nanjing and Italy's Florence are geographically distant, both are beautiful and historical travel destinations. Du Xiaoying reports.

Both are steeped in natural beauty, history and the trappings of royalty. Both have acted as economic powerhouses and capital cities.

And soon the pair will celebrate the 35th anniversary of a sister-city relationship born of their shared experience with past glories.

Welcome to Nanjing and Florence.

Nanjing, in East China's Jiangsu province, is the elder sister.

A fort named Yecheng, in what's today Nanjing, was founded by Fuchai, king of the State of Wu in 495 BC.

Florence, Italy, was founded 436 years later by Julius Caesar.

It truly is an age-before-beauty comparison.