New York and California are cultural capitals, in part, because they have high foreign-born populations.

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In a city which has finally regained its status as one of eastern Europe's leading cultural capitals after the devastation of World War II and decades largely isolated from the West behind the Iron Curtain, Kaye said the orchestra's message of peace through music was especially resonant.

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Their pilgrimage took them to the cultural treasures at Luoyang and Xian, both sites of ancient capitals, the old trading post of Dunhuang and, of course, Beijing and the Great Wall.

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"Paris, an intellectual capital, a cultural capital, an economic metropolis, also proves year after year that it is one of the world capitals of sport, " said Chirac, a former mayor of Paris.

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