35th Anniversary — Seattle Chongqing Sister City Friendship

Thirty-five years of friendship with Chongqing covers a good stretch of history and many exchange programs and delegations to and from our cities. The Seattle Chinese Garden is the most visible flowering of this friendship, and fittingly the site for celebrating the anniversary in late August with a 22-member Chongqing delegation led Deputy Mayor Zhang Ming.

Also fitting was the welcome to Seattle by former mayor Charles Royer, who signed the original sister city affiliation agreement in 1983 — top row center in photo. Deputy Mayor Zhang is to his left.

A fuller description of the visit and related events will be coming soon. Also, when you visit the Garden again, read the the plaque on the west wall of the courtyard, which honors the establishment of sister city ties and our enduring friendship.