News and Media – 2019

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2019 Baltimore Sister Cities Year in Review Video

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13th Annual National Committee on U.S.-China Relations CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections
Monday, November 18, 2019 at 5:30PM
Baltimore City Hall
National Panelists (via webcast): 
President of NCUSCR
Senior Fellow and Director for China Policy at the Center for American Progress
International Management Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management
Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security
National Moderator (via webcast):
ABC News Chief Anchor
Local Moderator (in person):
Executive Director and Founder of American Mandarin Society
China’s rapid development and Sino-American relations have a direct impact on the lives of nearly everyone in the United States. CHINA Town Hall is a national conversation about China that provides Americans across the United States and beyond the opportunity to discuss issues in the relationship with leading experts.
The 2019 CHINA Town Hall, hosted by the National Committee on U.S. China Relations (NCUSCR), included a nationwide webcast featuring four national panelists: Mr. Steve Orlins, Dr. Melanie Hart, Dr. Yasheng Huang, and Dr. Ely Ratner. The Baltimore program, which was hosted at Baltimore City Hall by the BXSCC and the Office of the Mayor, followed the national program with a local discussion moderated by Mr. Nat Ahrens in person. For more information regarding our national and local speakers, please follow the hyperlinks above.
Check-in & refreshments in Baltimore began at 5:30pm and the nationwide program began at 6:00pm. The local address was from 7:30 to 8:30pm EDT. For further details regarding the Baltimore program, please view the Eventbrite page.
The 2019 edition of this event was sponsored locally by BRIC, LLC, the Exelon Asian American Resource Group, and the University of Maryland Office of China Affairs.

BXSCC Announces 2020-2021 Leadership Team

  
November 14th, 2019

The BXSCC is pleased to welcome our leadership team for the 2020-2021 term! Continuing officers on our Executive Committee include Xin (Cindy) Wang as Chair, Danny Evans as Vice Chair, and Arella Liu as Treasurer. Hosea Chew has been newly elected Member-at-Large. For the latest information on our Sub-Committees and Functional Teams, please visit our Leadership page.

World Trade Center (WTCI) State of the Ports / Embassy Wine Tasting / 30th Year Anniversary
November 13th, 2019 The BXSCC supported the joint Baltimore Sister Cities presence at this celebration for Baltimore businesses with global trade interests.

World Cultures Day at Woodmoor Elementary School
November 13th, 2019 BXSCC officers shared Chinese art, music, and other cultural elements with students at this Baltimore County school.

Startup Global Baltimore (Baltimore Innovation Week)
October 10th, 2019 The BXSCC supported Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc.’s participation in this event and helped man the BSC table in an effort to promote our organizations as a resource for companies looking to expand abroad.

Charm City Night Market
September 21th, 2019 The BXSCC engaged with the Baltimore community with a booth at this annual street festival near historic Chinatown celebrating Baltimore’s Asian community and businesses through conducted a calligraphy activity and other programming.

Xiamen & Beijing “Youth Ambassadors” Summer Camp
June 24th to July 4th, 2019 and various BXSCC Vice Chair Danny Evans spearheaded the planning of and led this visit of 16 Baltimore and Maryland high school-aged students and 2 other chaperones to Xiamen and Beijing. The BXSCC obtained funds via cash grants, donations, and fundraising activities to help offset trip costs. Organizational & business in-kind sponsors included Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, Shake Shack, Blaze Pizza, Papa John’s, and Xiamen Shuangshi Middle / High School.

 

Summer trip activities included: In Xiamen, students took classes in airplane modeling, tai chi, calligraphy, folk music & music appreciation, Minnan-style Mid-Autumn Festival culture, literature, martial arts, polymer clay, and more at Xiamen Shuangshi Middle / High School. Participants visited Xiamen Airlines, the Xiamen International Convention and Exhibition Center / BRICS Xiamen Summit venue, Xiamen University, Nanputuo Temple, Gulangyu Island, and engaged with the Xiamen Office of Foreign Affairs. In Beijing, the students visited Peking University, Tian’anmen Square, the Palace Museum, the Beijing American Center (U.S. Embassy in Beijing), the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, and Beijing Olympic Park.

 

Associated events included: Two kick-off briefings (on December 7th, 2018 and January 18th, 2019), three participant and parents meetings (on March 29th, May 3rd, & June 14th), a visit to the State Department and USAID in Washington, D.C. (on June 21st), a Small Business Administration presentation (on July 24th), a debriefing with Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young (on July 29th), and a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Panel discussion in Washington, D.C. (on August 29th). At an August 2nd closing reception & awards ceremony, three Youth Ambassadors were presented with certificates and gift cards for their excellent participation in the Youth Ambassadors program.

Annual Baltimore City High School Chinese Embassy Trip
June 6th, 2019 It is a yearly tradition that BXSCC collaborates with schools in Baltimore city to bring students to visit the Chinese Embassy in D.C., to expand their horizon and learn more of China. On June 6th, BXSCC collaborated with Bard High School Early College and brought 24 exceptional students who are currently taking Chinese class from the 9th grade to 12th grade levels to visit the Chinese Embassy. The visit was followed by an authentic Chinese lunch in a restaurant located in Baltimore’s old Chinatown. The students expressed that it was an eye-opening experience, that the forum held after the guided tour helped them gain an in-depth understanding of modern China, and that they look forward to future opportunities to study or work in China.

Baltimore’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) Celebration
May 31st, 2019 The Baltimore – Changwon, Baltimore – Kawasaki, and Baltimore – Xiamen Sister City Committees along with other area Asian and Asian-American organizations, came together in celebrating Asian Pacific American (APA) cultures and the contributions of APAs to Baltimore at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). BCSCC led the 2019 event planning. Over 550 guests attended, including representatives of the Japanese and Chinese embassies and from the local Vietnamese community. Welcome remarks by MICA president Samuel Hoi.

 

Guest speakers included Maryland State Senator Susan C. Lee and Dr. Van-Khue Ton, a University of Maryland cardiologist. The event consisted of martial arts demonstrations, singing, dance and drum performances, and other cultural activities.

The BXSCC Welcomes Xiamen International Bank Delegation to Baltimore
May 24th, 2019 BXSCC officers met with human resources representatives of Xiamen International Bank at the State of Maryland Department of Commerce offices, as liaised by BXSCC member and Commerce’s Regional Manager for East Asia Felicia Pullam.

The BXSCC Celebrates Chinese Language and Culture Education Initiatives in Baltimore
Tuesday, May 21st & Thursday, May 23rd, 2019

 On May 21st and 23rd, the BXSCC collaborated with Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly) and Bard High School Early College (Bard), respectively, to host award ceremonies to recognize dedicated Chinese language and culture learners across grade levels. Students were each awarded a certificate and a gift card, with the aim of better encouraging Baltimore students to further their study of Chinese language and culture.

 

The awardees from Poly were Larissa Morales-Ramirez (10th), Quincy Riley (10th), Kayla N. Sullivan (10th), and Angelo Antonio S. Velasco (10th). The awardees from Bard were Nick Huette (9th), Dublin Padaloy (9th), Faith Maduka (10th), Jasmine Grossman (11th), and Peter MacKinnon (12th).

Congratulation to these students for all their accomplishments!

Cecil County Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) Celebration
May 11th, 2019 The BXSCC joined other Maryland Asian Pacific American organizations in tabling at this event at Mt. Aviat Academy spearheaded by BXSCC member Mie Mie Joe Strickler.

Sister Cities Animated! Film Screening
February 11th & April 5th, 2019 At the SNF Parkway Theatre on February 11th and at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on April 5th, Baltimore Sister Cities held an international screening of short animated films created by artists working and/or residing in Baltimore and in Baltimore’s Sister Cities. Sister Cities Animated, which featured 20 short films, was curated by award-winning animator and animation scholar Lynn Tomlinson, with help from assistant curator Safiyah Cheatam. The screening’s “Student Award” was awarded to “The Burning of the King Boat” by Xiamen Academy of Arts and Design, Fuzhou University student Kai Gao.

Port Discovery’s Year of the Pig Lunar New Year Celebration Event
February 2nd, 2019 BXSCC members volunteered at Port Discovery Children’s museum on Saturday, February 2nd to celebrate the Lunar New Year with personalized bookmarks, zodiac coloring pages, and lessons on how to use chopsticks and basic Chinese.

Baltimore Sister Cities General Meeting and Holiday Potluck
January 11th, 2019 BXSCC members joined fellow members of Baltimore Sister Cities at our annual general meeting to cast ballots on our 2018 Accomplishments, 2019 Plan, and 2019 leadership team. Holiday festivities as well as a multi-prize raffle of donated items followed.