Zhou Lin was overjoyed when she heard that Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, welcomed a new consulate general last week. The move brought the number of foreign consulates in the city to 12.

"Friends whose children study in New Zealand keep telling me the island country is one of the best places in the world to live. I do want to go there," said the middle-aged college teacher who has traveled to Europe and America but never to the Southern Hemisphere.

"The new consulate will make it easier for Sichuan locals like me to apply for a visa in Chengdu," the travel enthusiast said.