Laoshan would become Columbia’s fifth international sister city.
China’s Laoshan District, beset by mountains and sea, is a small, charming city much like Columbia. It is for this reason that the Columbia Friends of Laoshan think it is a worthy addition to Columbia’s four other international sister cities.
The relationship between the cities can help foster understanding between cultures and strengthen economic ties, according to Columbia’s Sister City policy resolution.
The dialogue between the two cities began after Laoshan’s director, Wan Wei Da, met Mayor Darwin Hindman last year during his short study with MU’s Asian Affairs Center. Columbia Friends of Laoshan founder Hsiao-Mei Wiedmeyer, who translated the conversations between the men, said the group has not made a formal request to the city but hopes to do so by next spring. The group will meet today at Memorial Union to discuss its newly drafted bylaws.
“Columbia is not a big city. (Laoshan is) not the most famous city, but it has a lot of charm, like Columbia,” Wiedmeyer said. She said an exchange between the two cultures is important, especially as China grows as a global economic power.
Columbia resident Fan Chen said Qingdao City, which the Laoshan District is part of, is a beautiful city with a growing technology industry.
“Laoshan is clean; a lot of Chinese cities aren’t” Chen said.
He said a relationship between the cities could create economic ties like the ones shared by international companies, such as 3M, Anheuser-Busch, and Laoshan. Sister city relationships last five years unless renewed by the City Council, according to Columbia’s policy. Columbia’s current sister cities are: Matto City, Japan; Suncheon City, Korea; Sibiu, Romania; and Kutaisi, Georgia. The cost of supporting a sister city relationship depends on each case and is not funded by the city, said Robert Ross, Columbia public communication officer.