China helps preserve spirit of Valter in Sarajevo

"Some people think this is just for Chinese tourists but that's only part of the story," he said. "It's our film and part of our city's story. It's based on a real-life resistance leader, Vladimir Peric, known as Valter, who died on the day of Sarajevo's liberation and is honored with a statue in the city.

"But we have a lot of Chinese visitors already, and look forward to seeing more. Last year we had around 60,000 in Sarajevo, and this year they think it will be about 80,000. Across the whole Balkan region, through the Belt and Road Initiative, China is becoming a major economic presence. There's a big investment in an energy project in Tuzla, there's involvement in Serbia and Croatia, and there's also cultural exchange, so it's growing all the time."

The presence of China's ambassador to Bosnia at the museum's opening demonstrated the enduring interest, and Durakovic says the museum has great plans for the future.

"We want to add an audio feature so a sensor will set off sound effects and atmosphere to make each room different, we've been working with some IT people to create a virtual interactive feature, and there's even talk of a Valter escape room," he said.