Tacoma guests visit Nanshan

A delegation from Tacoma, Washington, United States, visited Nanshan yesterday, making stops at the district’s ancient landmarks and tech hubs. This was their first visit since Nanshan and Tacoma officially established friendship ties on Nov. 28 last year.

Guests from Tacoma experience Chinese handicrafts at Nantou Ancient Town. Photos by ifeng.com

Headed by Tacoma Mayor Anders Ibsen, the delegation — comprising city officials, teachers, and students from Lincoln High School — was first welcomed by an energetic Yingge dance and an elegant classical dance performed by elementary school students at Nantou Ancient Town.

Ibsen, on his second visit to China, called himself a fan of Chinese history and described the Yingge dance as “marvelous,” saying that it has evolved and been passed down for a millennium and is now being revived in modern times. He also mentioned the significance of grassroots people-to-people exchanges.

Guests from Tacoma walk around Nantou Ancient Town.

“The best thing about sister cities is that we can learn so much from each other. Ultimately, my expectation is to learn more and deepen understanding and trade relations between our countries,” he said. “Whatever happens nationally or internationally, here on the local level we believe in common sense and working together.”

Nantou Ancient Town, where Shenzhen originated as a border town in the year 331, has undergone renewal in recent years. Blending Lingnan culture with contemporary creativity, the landmark, rebranded as Nantou City, is a must-visit for tourists and leisure-seekers.

At the Idea Factory inside Nantou Ancient Town, the guests teamed up with students from Nanshan District No. 2 Foreign Language School for a lively table tennis match.

Chinese performers pose for a group photo with the guests in front of Nantou Ancient Town.

The guests were so impressed by the Chinese students’ skills that Dell Sweeris, a former U.S. champion and key figure in the Ping-Pong Diplomacy of the 1970s, began chatting with the students and sharing his expertise. The visitors also tried traditional Chinese crafts such as weaving and rubbings.

In the afternoon, the delegation visited INNO100 at Shenzhen Bay Culture Plaza, the first officially authorized store in China of the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. There, they experienced cutting-edge gadgets firsthand, including smart glasses, exoskeleton wearables, 3D printers, and embodied AI robots.

Yesterday's event marks the first visit of Tacoma guests since Nanshan and their city established friendship ties on Nov. 28 last year.

Charlotte, a 12th-grader from Lincoln High School, tried on an exoskeleton wearable and was amazed at how much easier it made walking.

The final stop was Shenzhen Talent Park, where the guests enjoyed the coastal scenery and tested a food delivery service by drone.

A representative of the Nanshan’s government said that the district will continue to strengthen its sister-city ties and build broader and deeper cooperation with Tacoma.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced during his visit to the U.S. in November 2023 that China is ready to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs over the next five years, to increase exchanges between the two peoples, especially among the youth.

Coincidentally, in 2015, Xi, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, visited Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, during his first state visit to the U.S. as Chinese president.