Baltimore Sister Cities Displays at the World Trade Center Institute Global Gala
December 6th, 2017
BXSCC representatives supported the WTCI as part of the Baltimore Sister Cities delegation and exhibited at this celebration of Baltimore businesses with global trade interests.
Xiamen Arts & Culture Delegation Visit to Baltimore
December 3rd & 4th, 2017
The BXSCC hosted a four-person delegation from Xiamen’s Publicity Department, Institute of Calligraphy and Painting, Federation of Literary & Art Circles, and Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. During visits with the Mayor, the Office of the City Council President, the Baltimore of Office of Promotion and the Arts, the Maryland Institute College of Art, the University of Maryland – Baltimore County, and Towson University, the delegation discussed potential future arts and culture collaborations and exchanges.
View photos from the visit via Facebook.
Towson University Asian Faculty & Staff Association Event Featuring Robert Daly
December 1st, 2017
The BXSCC helped arrange for Robert Daly, the Director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center, to be the keynote speaker for this event and sponsored a table at the event.
Baltimore Sister Cities Vice President & BXSCC Vice Chair Speak With Coppin State University’s Business Leaders of the Future Students
November 13th, 2017
The Business Leaders of the Future Program is a professional development program comprised of some of the top scholars in the College of Business at Coppin State University. Under the direction of Dr. Victoria Miller, Assistant Professor of Marketing, these scholars engage in a series of experiential learning activities designed to enhance their level of professionalism, making them more marketable for placement at top companies upon graduation. BSC Vice President Fontaine Bell and BXSCC Vice Chair Danny Evans spoke with Coppin State’s Business Leaders about the importance of China in a presentation titled “The Old and New Perspectives of China: How Can China Help Shape Your Professional Career?” and a subsequent discussion session. The students were also extended an invite to become involved with BSC and the BXSCC – and to help make a difference in Baltimore from an international perspective.
11th Annual National Committee on U.S.-China Relations CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections
featuring
the Honorable Susan E. Rice, National Security Advisor (2013 – 2017) and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2009 – 2013)
and
Mr. John C. Wobensmith, Secretary of State of Maryland (2015 – present)
with the national dialogue moderated by
Mr. Stephen A. Orlins, President, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
5:30 to 9:00pm, Tuesday, October 24th, 2017
Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
The 2017 program included a catered reception, a local address by Secretary Wobensmith in person, a nationwide webcast featuring Ambassador Rice, and a panel discussion with the local audience featuring Secretary Wobensmith, Minister Counselor Deyou Tian of the Chinese Embassy, and Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs President Dr. Frank Burd. Check-in & refreshments began at 5:30pm and the local program began at 6:00pm. The national webcast was from 7:00 to 7:45pm EDT.
To register, visit the event registration page which leads to a link for credit card payments. Checks in advance are to be made out to “Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc.” Registration fees were $20 for students & members and $30 for non-members if paid by October 17th, 2017. For payments & registrations after that date, a $10 surcharge is being assessed. All guests must register in advance in order to be allowed entry to City Hall. Refunds are not be available. Seating is limited.
This event sold out.
For more information regarding our national and local speakers, please follow the hyperlinks above. For a printer-friendly summary of the information above, please view the event flyer.
The 2017 edition of this event was sponsored by BRIC, LLC, Ekpac, the Exelon Asian American Resource Group, and the University of Maryland’s Office of China Affairs.
View photos from the program via Facebook.
The BXSCC Partners with the Xiamen University of Technology for Light City 2018 Proposal
July 31st, 2017
Thanks to wide-ranging support from local partners in both Xiamen and Baltimore, over the course of six weeks, a team of BXSCC volunteers and XMUT staff pulled together a proposal for a light installation melding both traditional Chinese lantern elements and modern technological innovations to be exhibited as part of the BGE Light Art Walk along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in April 2018.
Results of the juried contest were announced in October 2017; the BXSCC congratulates the finalists for the Light Art Walk!
The BXSCC Hosts University of Maryland – Office of China Affairs Global Leadership Program Delegation
July 25th, 2017
The University of Maryland – Office of China Affairs brought 31 students and representatives from the Shanghai area to Baltimore’s City Hall to learn about how local governments function in the U.S.
The program began with a tour of City Hall by Jeanne Davis, City Hall Curator, and continued with a panel moderated by BXSCC Chair Xin (Cindy) Wang. Guest panelists represented an array of aspects of Baltimore City Government and civil society:
- Mayor (Ethan Cohen, Senior Project Coordinator, Strategic Alliances, Office of Mayor Catherine Pugh)
- City Council (Hosea Chew, Director of Administration, Office of the City Council President)
- Economic Development (Larry Collins, Director Foreign Trade Zone # 74, Baltimore Development Corporation)
- International Outreach (Fontaine Bell, Vice President, Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc.)
View photos from the program via Facebook.
BXSCC Website Overhauled
July 24th, 2017
The second generation of the BXSCC’s website was retired as of 12:01am on July 24th, 2017 and replaced with a much more modern and smart phone-friendly version, courtesy of our long-time website provider USABAL Solutions.
The BXSCC Features in the Artscape 2017 Baltimore Sister Cities Booth
July 21st – 23rd, 2017
In July 2017, the BXSCC returned to Artscape as part of the Baltimore Sister Cities booth. Artscape 2017’s theme was “CAMP”, so the BXSCC held an exhibit showcasing nature in traditional Chinese paintings, with examples from last year’s resident artist from Xiamen, Ms. Lifen Weng.
View photos from the event via Facebook.
See the Orioles, Support Sister Cities!
Through July 15th, 2017
Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh kindly made two packages of field box # 42 seats at Orioles Park at Camden Yards available for a raffle to benefit Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. These packages were for the Orioles vs. Detroit Tigers game on Saturday, August 5th and the Orioles vs. Los Angeles Angels game on Saturday, August 19th. Two winners were selected; each winner received a package of 4 game tickets and 1 parking pass for one of the games. The total value of each prize package was $350. The raffle ticket prices were $2 per ticket or $5 for 3 tickets.
The drawing was held at 4pm on Sunday, July 23 at the Baltimore Sister Cities Artscape booth. The winning tickets were sold by the Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee and the Baltimore – Kawasaki Sister City Committee, respectively.
View the raffle flyer.
The BXSCC Hosts ‘People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries’ Delegation
June 14th, 2017
The University of Maryland – Office of China Affairs brought 24 high-ranking officials from a number of Chinese provincial and city governments to Baltimore’s City Hall to learn about Baltimore’s experience with sister cities and to discuss cross-cultural communications. Fontaine Bell, Vice President of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc., and Danny Evans, Vice Chair of the BXSCC, led the presentations and discussion. Also assisting were BXSCC officers Arella Liu and Matt Moores and member Denée Barr. Hosea Chew, Director of Administration for the Baltimore City Council, represented the city government.
Following the formal presentations, Jeanne Davis, City Hall Curator, led a tour of the historic building.
View photos from the event via Facebook.
The BXSCC Joins the Charles Village Festival
June 3rd & 4th, 2017
Wyman Park Dell, Charles Village, Baltimore, MD
For the first time ever, the BXSCC displayed at a local Baltimore neighborhood festival. Visitor shared in Xiamen & Chinese stories & crafts as well as supporting the BXSCC’s fundraiser to better help “promote business, cultural, educational, health/environmental and other cooperation and exchanges between the cities of Baltimore … and Xiamen … and to support Baltimore City’s other activities and programs related to China and the local Chinese community.”
The BXSCC Participates in Asian Pacific Celebration at Port Discovery!
May 27th, 2017
On Saturday, May 27th, the BXSCC celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at Port Discovery, meeting with community members and engaging in Chinese culture with children and parents! Children were invited to participate in a number of cultural activities, such as learning how to use chopsticks and receiving a transliteration of their names written by a calligrapher.
To learn more about Port Discovery and the wide variety of activities they offer, please visit the Port Discovery events page here.
The BXSCC Celebrates Chinese-Language Education Initiatives in Baltimore
May 15th & 17th, 2017
On May 15th, the BXSCC honored four Baltimore Polytechnic Institute students for their outstanding work in studying the Chinese language. Each student received a certificate and a monetary gift (enclosed in a ‘red envelope’) from the BXSCC. BXSCC Chair Xin (Cindy) Wang presided during the morning ceremony. Founding BXSCC member Mrs. Katherine Chin spoke to the students about the history of Baltimore City’s Chinese community and early trade with China. BXSCC Vice Chair Danny Evans presented awards to students during the afternoon ceremony and discussed the benefits of studying Chinese.
Two days later, fifty-two Baltimore Polytechnic Institute students traveled to Washington, DC, to the Embassy of People’s Republic of China in the United States of America. The visit included a tour of the Chancery Building where the students were able to view magnificent Chinese art treasures as well as listen to brief lectures concerning Chinese history and the current state of China-U.S. relations.
Baltimore City’s Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Reception
5:00 – 8:30 pm, Tuesday, May 16th, 2017
Gas & Electric Building, 110 W. Fayette Street (2 Center Plaza), Baltimore, MD 21202
Together with Exelon Corporation’s Asian American Resource Group, the Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee, and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs (MIMA), the Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee co-hosted Baltimore City’s 2017 APAHM event in downtown Baltimore. Around 200 people attended the event, including Baltimore’s Mayor Catherine E. Pugh, BGE CEO Calvin G. Butler, Jr., Meals on Wheels Maryland Executive Director Stephanie Archer-Smith, state and city officials, representatives of the Chinese Embassy & the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Convention & Exhibition Affairs, and other honored guests. Guests enjoyed performances & foods representative of an array of Asian cultures as well as networking opportunities.
Event sign-ups were via Eventbrite; this event sold out.
View photos and videos from the event via Facebook.
Delegation from Xiamen: China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT)
Tuesday, May 16th, 2017
The BXSCC was pleased to welcome representatives from Xiamen’s Bureau of Convention & Exhibition Affairs who visited Baltimore to promote the CIFIT – and were featured as special guests at the Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Reception that took place in Baltimore that same day.
The 2017 CIFIT will be held September 18th through 21st. For more information, please contact the BXSCC or visit the event website.
The BXSCC Supports Cecil County’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Event
6:00 – 8:00 pm, Thursday, May 4th, 2017
Rising Sun High School Auditorium, 100 Tiger Dr., North East, MD 21901
The BXSCC joined in Cecil County’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Event in its celebration of cultures across Asia – and met friends both old and new!
View photos from the event via Facebook.
Amoy Art Deco Weekend
March 24th – 26th, 2017
BXSCC Public Relations & Promotion Chair Gabriel Meredith, his Asian Art Deco Alliance group, and Historic Shanghai, hosted a three days of walking tours of the Art Deco architectural gems of Xiamen.
The BXSCC Supports the On Leong Chinese Merchants Association of Baltimore Chinese New Year Banquet
March 5th, 2017
The On Leong Chinese Merchants Association of Baltimore hosted its 2017 Chinese New Year – The Year of the Rooster Banquet at Chopstix Gourmet Restaurant. About 130 people attended the event, including the Chinese Embassy, State and City officials, honored guests, association members, friends, and their families.
BXSCC Business Sub-Committee Co-Chair Carol (Min) Du was the emcee for the event. For more details, please read the article from Washington Chinese Daily News (in Chinese).
Maryland Organizations Co-Host U.S.-China Trade Conference with the Chinese Embassy
February 16th, 2017
The BXSCC was honored to co-host a high-level conference on U.S.-China trade under the new Trump administration with the Chinese Embassy, the Maryland-China Business Council, & the Maryland-Anhui Province Sister State Committee at the Chinese Embassy’s Business Offices in Washington, DC. In addition to remarks by the Embassy’s Minister for Commercial Affairs, Mr. Zhu Hong, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford, Director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States Robert Daly, and Senior Vice President of the U.S.-China Business Council Erin Ennis also spoke at length regarding the challenges and opportunities in trade and investment in China and the U.S. today. Maryland Secretary of State John Wobensmith, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade’s General Representative in the U.S. Mr. Zhenge Zhao, representatives from leading Baltimore and Maryland businesses, and the leadership of the organizing committees joined in a lively discussion regarding these complex but very relevant concerns.
During the event, Lieutenant Governor Rutherford presented a Governor’s Citation to 2006-2017 BXSCC Chair W. Fontaine Bell to recognize his many years of service to Maryland and his dedication to promoting U.S.-China exchanges. Guests also enjoyed a subsequent reception graciously provided by the Embassy.
View photos from the event via Facebook.
The BXSCC Announces Leadership Team Changes
February 9th, 2017
After 11 years as Chair, W. Fontaine Bell is taking on the role of the BXSCC’s Member-at-Large. The BXSCC is pleased to welcome former Vice Chair Xin (Cindy) Wang as our new Chair. Former Culture, Sports, Promotion & Tourism Chair Danny Evans was elected Vice Chair. Kirsten Foster was previously elected Secretary, and Arella Liu continues as Treasurer. All executive committee terms will be through early 2018.
For the latest listing of the BXSCC’s officers, please visit our Leadership page.
Port Discovery’s Year of the Rooster Chinese New Year Celebration Event
Saturday, February 4th, 2017
Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee members celebrated the Year of the Rooster by volunteering their time at the Port Discovery Children’s Museum on Saturday, February 4th. BXSCC members assisted Port Discovery guests with CNY art activities from 10:30am until 4:00pm. Among other activities, Mr. Jinrong Chen, a gifted calligrapher, again wrote our visitors’ names in Chinese characters on bookmarks.
View media from the event via Facebook.