Dear Ms. Wei Hong, Mayor of Cupertino,
In 2018, through the introduction of Mr. Song
Min, Chairman of Cupertino-Xianning Sister City
Committee, Xianning and your city became sister
cities. Over the years, leaders from both municipal
governments have visited each other numerous
times and engaged in various forms of exchange
and cooperation, such as library book donations and
youth art exchanges.
In November 2022, on the occasion of preparing
for the first "Together for a Better Future" Youth
Calligraphy and Painting Festival of International
Sister Cities in Xianning, Mr. Darcy Paul, the then
Mayor of Cupertino, wrote a letter to Mr. Yang Jun,
the Mayor of Xianning, wishing the festival great
success and expressing sincere wishes for
continued exchanges and friendship between the
two cities in the future. I firmly believe that with
your strong support, the sister-city relations
between the two cities will be further strengthened.
Meanwhile, we cordially invite you and your
delegation to attend the "Meet in Mid-Autumn
Festival · Hubei International Exchange Week"
organized by the People's Government of Hubei
Province from September 23 to 28, 2023, and visit
Xianning at your convenience.
I am glad to hear that in October this year, the
US-China Cultural Communications Association will
organize ten American painters, including those
from Cupertino, to visit Xianning. They will hold an
art exhibition entitled "China in the Eyes of
Americans: Telling the Story of Xianning with
Paintbrushes" in both Cupertino and Xianning. I
sincerely wish for the complete success of this
event!
May the friendship between our two cities
endure, businesses thrive and people find
happiness.
Director of Foreign Affairs Office of
Xianning Municipal People's Government
July 4, 2023
• Summary of Friendship City delegation visits to Cupertino hosted by the Committee over the last two years.
In November 2022, entrusted by the foreign affairs Office of Xianning Municipal People's Government, Mr. Song Min, Chairman of the Cupertino-Xianning Friendship City Committee, paid a visit to the staff of Cupertino Municipal Government, Cupertino City Council, and Friendship City Committee on the occasion of Thanksgiving Day. To this end, our city specially designed the festival greeting cards signed by the leaders of the Foreign Affairs Office of Xianning Muni cipal People's Government and mailed characteristic gifts of Xianning to strengthen contact and enhance friendship.
• Summary of Cupertino delegation visits hosted by the Friendship City.
In May 2021, in order to enhance mutual understanding and exchanges between teenagers in Xianning and Cupertino, Xianning collected the excellent works of 19 students from Wenquan Middle School to participate in the "Father in My Eyes" Painting Exhibition - 2021 Post-epidemic Art Exhibition Series by Chinese &American Youth sponsored by US-China Cultural Communication Association. Darcy Paul, the former mayor of Cupertino, wrote to students at Wenquan Middle School: "I am writing to thank you for your outstanding efforts in the field of art and promoting friendly relations between Cupertino, California, United States of America and Xianning, Hubei Province, China."
In March 2023, Xianning held the first "Together for a Better Future" Youth Calligraphy and Painting Festival of International Sister Cities. 116 artworks from seven international sister/friendship cities of Xianning, including Cupertino, were collected for the exhibition. Darcy Paul, the then Mayor of Cupertino, sent a congratulatory video and letter. Students from Cupertino created 17 excellent artworks for the exhibition, which significantly enhanced the mutual understanding among teenagers from the two cities and yielded positive results and influence.
It is glad to hear that in October this year, the US-China Cultural Communications Association (Cupertino-Xianning Sister City Committee will organize ten American painters, including those from Cupertino, to visit Xianning. They will hold an art exhibition entitled "China in the Eyes of Americans: Telling the Story of Xianning with Paint Brushes" in both Cupertino and Xianning. I sincerely wish for the complete success of this event!
Meanwhile, we cordially invite the Mayor, vice Mayor, and city of council of Cupertino and your delegation to attend the "Meet in Mid-Autumn Festival · Hubei International Exchange Week" organized by the People's Government of Hubei Province from September 23 to 28, 2023, and visit Xianning at your convenience。
• Description of activities held and outcomes.
Activities and outcomes included above.
• How the relationship has been mutually beneficial for Cupertino and the friendship community.
The activities listed above show how the friendship city relationship has benefited youth particularly in the arts for both Xianning and Cupertino.
• An updated profile of the Friendship City Committee.
Located in the south bank of the Yangtze River, Xianning is called “the southern gateway to Hubei” and it is a city known as the “Fragrant City and Hot Spring Capital”. The Chinese phrase “Xianning” appeared for the first time in the book of Changes, meaning “peace in all corners”.
Xianning is famous for its three historical reasons. Firstly, it is one of the three birthplaces of the Chinese Ancient Tea Horse Road. Famous people such as Empress Dowager Cixi and Karl Marx both talked about tea of Xianning. Secondly, the Battle of Red Cliffs took place in Chibi City (a county-level city of Xianning City) is a typical example in the Chinese history of defeating enemy troops with a force inferior in number as well as in power. Thirdly, the Tingsiqiao Battle, which took place during the Northern Expedition in Xian’an District of Xianning City, showed the Iron Army Spirit that overawed the enemy.
Nowadays Xianning owns three characteristics. The first is fragrance. Xianning is Chinese hometown of sweet osmanthus which is the city flower because of its national-leading species quantity, number of ancient trees, planting base area, fresh osmanthus production and quality.
Besides sweet osmanthus, Xianning is also famous for its wine, bamboo, tea and camellia. All the fragrance of these local resources makes Xianning the Fragrant City of China. The second is its virescence. Because the forest coverage rate of Xianning is 54.2%, and excellent air quality days exceed more than 350 throughout the year, negative oxygen ion content is high in the local place. Xianning Successively won the Prize of China Habitat Environment Model, Chinese Best Living City, Attractive city, Virescence Model City, Garden City. Besides it ranks among the first tourism standardization demonstration cities throughout the country together with Suzhou, Qingdao, and Lijiang. The third is convenient transportation for its 138 kilometers golden waterway of Yangtze River, 1 hour expressway to Wuhan Tianhe airport, and 313 kilometers highway. At present, Xianning takes the lead in entering into a High-speed Era especially for the opening of Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway and Wuhan-Xianning inter-city railway.
Being rich in resources, Xianning has a relative advantage in cost which is far lower than that in the richer coastal areas, including costs in labor, water, electricity, gas and land. Xianning has an abundant of water resources, with water here of Class B and hot springs running all over the year. Xianning also has a favorable industrial chain with its relatively complete industrial system.
There are now many enterprises both at home and abroad which rank top 500 in the world in Xianning, such as Red Bull of Thailand, Uni-president Corporation of Taiwan, China Resources Enterprise of Hong Kong, and Country Garden Holdings of Guangdong Province. Xianning is also, with the idea of “Enterprises and entrepreneurs rank first”, aiming at creating a highly-efficient government environment. It is trying to spread the notion of welcoming business trade and respecting businessmen. Xianning has been awarded “Financial Credit City of Hubei” for 11 years in a row. The city is now progressing towards the target of “promoting green rise, building a robust city in Southern Hubei, making it a “Fragrant City and Hot Spring Capital” as well as an important hub city in the Nanchang-Wuhan-Changsha city cluster. In 2013, the GDP of Xianning reached 87.211 billion Yuan, up 10.6% than the previous year. And for years the growing rate of Xianning’s major economic indicator has been higher than that of the average level of the whole province. Just like a teenager growing fast, Xianning is enjoying a sound momentum of development, full of vigor and vitality.