Chongqing - Bill Stafford, former deputy mayor of Seattle, recently returned to Chongqing after 13 years, continuing his nearly half-century commitment to building ties between the sister cities. Though cities transform—Chongqing’s skyline now soars where low-rises once stood—the human connections remain.

Stafford moved to Seattle for a job at Ford and later joined city government through a friend’s recommendation. Since then, he has visited Chongqing more than ten times, helping to strengthen sister city relations.

His emotional return included a search for his own history at the Stilwell Museum, where a photo from the 1990s—showing him with a fuller appearance—still hangs. “It’s an honor to be a little piece of that history,” he remarked, reflecting on Chongqing’s WWII significance.

Stafford also revisited the Chongqing Zoo, where he had previously helped arrange the transfer of two golden snub-nosed monkeys to Seattle. He joked about giving an American passport to a newborn monkey in Seattle.

Through various exchanges, from pandas to city planning, Stafford has worked to strengthen the bond between the people of Seattle and Chongqing. At the city level, he believes, there is still an opportunity to educate, connect, and remind everyone that friendship transcends borders.