Summary of  Activities Between Xicheng District and Pasadena, California

1997
Given a recommendation by Chinese residing in America, Xicheng District associated with Pasadena at the beginning of 1997. The two parties had exchanged relevant materials. In July of the same year, Twin City Committee of Pasadena came to Beijing to observe, and met with Mr. Wang Changlian, head of Xicheng District.

Mar, 1998
Study group of our district went to Pasadena to get to know the city.

Apr, 1998
161 Middle School of our district and Blair Middle School of Pasadena began to exchange.

Apr. 15, 1998
Twin City Committee of Pasadena passed the proposal of building up the twin city relations with our district with two-thirds of the majority vote.

Oct, 1999
Given special approval by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of Foreign Affairs of Beijing agreed that our district and Pasadena set up twin city relations.

Oct, 1999
Ms. Lu Xiwen, Head of Xicheng District, led government delegation visiting Pasadena formally. Mr. Bill Bogaard, Mayor of Pasadena signed agreement with Ms. Lu Xiwen, thus  the twin city relations was set up formally.

May, 2000
3 people from Xicheng District, from Huayuan Real Estate Company, Foreign Language School of West City and 161 Middle School went to Pasadena for a  two-month stay to serve observe both business and educational activities.  

Sep, 2000
Bill Bogaard, Mayor of Pasadena, led a 28-person  delegation on the friendly visit to our district, and met with Mr. Wang Changlian and Ms. Lu Xiwen, secretary and head of Xicheng District, respectively.  The sister city delegation was led by Ginger Christinsen, President of PSCC, and Elmer Christensen, Chair of the China Subcommittee. 

Nov, 2000
The government of Xicheng District gave 1280 books to Pasadena. The presentation ceremony was held in Pasadena.

Apr, 2001
Mr. Zhang Shijun, chairman of CPPCC of our district led a 44-people delegation of the New Moon Choir went to Pasadena to perform at a number of local schools.

Apr, 2002
Mr. Zhang Guoyu, deputy secretary of Xicheng District, led the delegation on a friendly visit to Pasadena, consulting together with the city about matters concerning friendly exchanges in 2003.

Jul, 2002
Ms. Li Baoqin, vice president of CPPCC of Xicheng District, led the economy and culture delegation visiting Pasadena, attending " Photographic Exhibition of Local Conditions and Customs of Xicheng District" held in Pasadena. After the exhibition, our part presented all the photos to the city.

Nov, 2002
Invited by Ms. Lu XiWen, head of our district, Ms. Wei Ruiqin, chairman of China branch of twin city committee of Pasadena and other 4 officials came to visit and took part in the opening ceremony of" Photographic Exhibition of Local Conditions and Customs of Pasadena ."

Jul, 2003
Ms. Wei Ruiqin, chairman of China branch of twin city committee of Pasadena came to Beijing. She met with local officials to plan on activities for the following year.

Aug, 2003
Mr. Lin Duo, Head of Xicheng District, formally wrote to Bill Bogaard, Mayor of Pasadena, expressing the wish to continue strengthening the friendly connections between the district and the city.

Oct., 2004
A 15 member delegation from Pasadena led Mayor Bogaard and Alan Lamson,  Chair of the China Subcommittee, came to Xicheng to celebrate the 5th anniversary of their sister city relationship.

Five more years

   History of Pasadena~Xicheng Relationship (1999~2006)

Xicheng (shee-chung) District, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China, became Pasadena's fifth sister city in October 1999, when Mayor Bogaard and Governor (Mayor) Lu Xiwen signed an agreement in Pasadena.  Xicheng (West District) is located in the center of Beijing, just west of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. It is well known as a business, cultural, financial, historical, and political district of Beijing, blending the old with the new.  Temples, residences of historic figures, traditional living compounds, and exquisite parks are legacies of Beijing's long history.

After an extensive study of cities in China, including visits to six Chinese cities and visits to Pasadena by delegations from those six cities, a subcommittee unanimously recommended that Xicheng District become our sister city. Xicheng District's desires and capabilities most closely matched Pasadena's criteria for a sister city.   A group of twelve Chinese officials, including Governor Lu Xiwen, visited Pasadena at the time of the signing ceremony in 1999.  Mayor Bill Bogaard signed on behalf of Pasadena. 

Friendships between Pasadena and Xicheng have developed as the result of yearly visits to Xicheng since 1997, including the first official visit as a sister city in the spring of 2000 under the leadership of Mayor Bill Bogaard, Ginger Christensen, President of the Pasadena Sister Cities Committee, and Elmer Christensen, Chair of the China Subcommittee. 

Later that summer, a group of three women visited Pasadena for a month, staying in the homes of sister city members.   Two of them, Tan Yani and Su Shun, sat in on ESL classes at PCC.  The other, Lu Jiansheng, worked as an intern at Parson’s Engineering.  

Since that first exchange activity, Pasadena and Xicheng have had a number of cultural exchanges.  In March of the following year, 2001, a group of 35 children from the New Moon Choir, under the leadership of Zhang Shijun, performed at a number of venues in Pasadena.  In 2002, a delegation visited Pasadena with a photographic exhibition of local conditions and customs of Xicheng District.   The group also visited a number of elementary schools, demonstrating Chinese calligraphy.  Later that year, a delegation from Pasadena visited Xicheng to display a similar exhibit about the life and customs in Pasadena.  In November of this year (2005), Xicheng held an Art Exhibit for its various friendship cities. Pasadena contributed paintings, calligraphy, and photographs. 

Educational exchanges have been a feature of Pasadena’s sister cities activities.  Students at Pasadena's Blair High School and Xicheng's 161 Middle School have been communicating electronically since 1998 and have visited each others school for the past three years as part of a State Department grant called US-China Discovery Initiative.   With each of the visits, the sister city committee has taken part in the activities of the students and teachers. 

Library exchanges have also been part of the relationship between   Pasadena and Xicheng.  In 2000, Xicheng has sent over 1200 books to both the Pasadena Public Library and the Pasadena City College Library, covering Chinese art, history, literature, cooking, medicine, martial arts, and other aspects of Chinese culture.  Pasadena has also sent books and National Geographic magazines to Xicheng.   In 2004, Pasadena welcomed two interns from Xicheng and this summer the Xicheng library welcomed an intern from Pasadena and the two cities have been discussing an exchange of interns next year and the signing of a form MOU signifying their sister library status.

Since the celebration of the 5th anniversary of their sister city relationship in October of 2004, the two cities have become even more active.  Xicheng has expressed its interest in entering a float in the 2008 Rose Parade in honor of the Beijing Olympics.  A delegation visited Pasadena during the Christmas holidays to attend the Rose Parade and discuss future exchange activities.  In April of their year, two representatives from Pasadena participated in the Beijing Marathon Relay and began a project called Perfecting English Project initiated by Jane Hallinger and Alan Lamson who consulted with Xicheng officials regarding the editing of English language materials located in various tourist venues in Xicheng.   They completed the project in time for their visit to Xicheng in November.  

Next year Pasadena looks forward to again participating in the Marathon Relay and in hosting a training group from Xicheng and a delegation from 161 High School.