For the first time since the pandemic hit, the City of Minneapolis hosted its “Sister Cities Day” at Nicollet Island Pavilion on July 17. Of all the sister cities represented that day, a special celebration was held for the 30th Anniversary of the sister city relationship between Minneapolis and Harbin, China. The USCPFA-MN is the host organization in Minneapolis responsible for working with Meet Minneapolis on the Harbin relationship. Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis spoke, as did the Deputy Consul General Huang Liming from the Chicago Consulate of the PRC and the Mayor of Harbin, Zhang Qixiang via a prerecorded video. (A link to the live speeches can be found here: https://bit.ly/3cFFbsH ; a link to Mayor Zhang’s speech can be found here: https://bit.ly/3bwwLUa) The Hui’s Lucky Lion Dance Team performed a spirited lion dance to the delight of the crowd.
At the Harbin booth, visitors could get a calligraphy bookmark with their Chinese names (usually assigned on the spot), and try out their skills at Chinese papercutting. The Harbin Foreign Affairs Office provided several current videos showcasing Harbin’s culture, industry, and environment, which played on a flat-screen TV throughout the four-hour event. The HFAO also sent several mementos (postcards, bookmarks, scrolls, small jigsaw puzzles) which were distributed in a drawing for all attendees stopping at the booth. As Ralph Beha, President of the USCFPA-MN noted, Minneapolis is extremely proud to have Harbin as its sister city in China. Despite current geopolitical tensions, all representatives of the sister cities expressed hopes that citizen diplomacy and sub-national relations will resume as soon as possible, in the interest of promoting mutual understanding, respect, and a prosperous and peaceful future.