Chongqing - A delegation from Seattle, United States, visited Chongqing to participate in the 2024 Chongqing International Friendship Cities Cooperation Conference, commemorating the 41st anniversary of friendship between Chongqing and Seattle in Washington State.

At the 41st Anniversary of the Establishment of Sister City Relations Between Seattle and Chongqing Reception, Shen Jinqiang, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress, stated, "Since the establishment of our sister-city relationship in 1983, Chongqing and Seattle have fostered active exchanges and collaborations in areas such as IT, architecture, landscaping, education, and healthcare, leading to significant achievements."

Seattle City Councilmember Dan Aaron Strauss delivered a speech. (Photo/Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal People's Government)

Seattle City Councilmember Dan Aaron Strauss highlighted memorable events since the establishment of friendship between the two cities, including reciprocal visits and collaborations between government officials, early exhibitions with Chongqing Zoo, Chongqing Library, and museums, which were well-received by Seattle residents, and the design and construction of the "Seattle Chinese Garden" initiated in 1986 as an important testament to the friendship between the two cities.

The Seattle Chinese Garden, jointly designed and built by the Seattle Chinese Garden Society and the Chongqing City Garden Bureau, is China's first and only Bayu-style garden overseas. Its naming, design, and construction embody the friendly relations between Chongqing and Seattle. Today, it serves as a window to enhance cultural exchanges between China and the United States, showcasing the development accomplishments and friendly interactions between the two cities.

Paige Robinson Miller, Vice President of the Seattle Chinese Garden Society, delivers a speech (Photo/Yang Shihan)

The traditional Chinese musical instrument orchestra composed by Chongqing Nankai Middle School students also gave an outstanding performance at the reception. In September 2001, Chongqing Nankai Middle School was selected as one of the "China-US Youth Exchange Program" schools and established a friendship school with Chief Sealth International High School in Seattle, USA. Since then, they have carried out a number of teacher-student exchange activities.

The traditional Chinese musical instrument orchestra composed by the students of Chongqing Nankai Middle School (Photo/Yang Shihan)

On the morning of May 24, the "Time Imprints: Forty-one Years of Sister City Bond Commemorative Exhibition of Chongqing and Seattle's Exchanges" was inaugurated at the Chongqing Library. This exhibition intends to recount and display the deep exchanges and collaborations between the two cities in various realms such as culture, education, technology, and economy since establishing sister-city relations in 1983 through 120 cherished historical photos and 30 pivotal events.

The commemorative exhibition is organized chronologically, covering the period from 1944 to 2023. It features 120 selected historical images of exchanges. It highlights 30 significant events in four key stages: the inception of sister city relations between Chongqing and Seattle, collaborative expansion, challenges and opportunities in the new millennium, and advancements towards the future.

This exhibition, hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal People's Government and organized by the Chongqing Library, is now on display at the exhibition hall on the second floor of the Chongqing Library from May 24 to June 21, 2024.