OneFallenPilot,ManyNewSisters：从厄普切奇到湖南北卡姐妹省州

Lenny

Lenny

Invited speech at the opening session of the 2018 Hunan-America Sister City conference

74 years ago, a 21 year old pilot from North Carolina came to China to join the Flying Tigers and help the Chinese fighting against the Japanese invasion. He died in Guidong county, Hunan province when his plane crashed on October 6, 1944. When the local villagers rushed to the crash site, found and buried his body, no one knew who he was, except identified him as an American pilot.

12 years ago, in 2005, with the help of a team from Guidong, this American pilot was identified as Lt. Robert Hoyle Upchurch of Moore County, NC, and his remains were subsequently returned to his hometown and reburied along side his parents in April 2006.

11 years ago, in 2007, the people in Guidong built a memorial for Lt. Upchurch.

Hunan Province and the State of North Carolina expressed an intent to engage in a sister state relationship and Guidong County to become a sister of Moore County, so the spirit of cooperation exemplified by Lt. Upchurch would continue.

High-level exchanges between Hunan and NC intensified after their engagement. Every NC governor since then has strongly supported this engagement.

　　In particular, the Vice President of NC senate, Senator Harris Blake, had led multiple delegations to visit Hunan Province.

In the following 5 years, every governor of Hunan province at the time, including governors Zhou Qiang, ZHANG Chunxian, and Vice Governors Yu Laishan, Guo Kailang, Chen Zhaoxiong visited North Carolina.

Frequent high-level engagement eventually led to the signing of the Hunan-NC sister state agreement in 2012，as well as the establishment of new sister city relationships between Zhijiang and Pinehurst, Zhuzhou and Durham.

In the past 11 years, people to people exchanges in education, cultural and business have flourished between Hunan Province and North Carolina.

Zhuzhou is paired with Durham

Zhijiang is paired with Pinehurst

Zhijiang-Pinehurst won sister city award in the arts and culture category by Sister City International.

Guidong is paired with Moore County

Many NC high school and college students came to visit Hunan province to learn Chinese culture and language, and vice versa. Multiple schools from both sides formed sister school relationships. Such as Zhuzhou Nanfang High School and ONeal School in Pinehurst.

Artists from NC, like pianist David Wolff, have been invited to perform in Hunan Province.

Performers from Hunan Peking Opera House and Hunan Acrobatic Troupe brought stunning performances to Raleigh, NC.

Folk and handicraft artists representing the talents from Hunan embroidery and pottery industries exhibited their art work in North Carolina, and introduced these intangible cultural heritage treasures of Hunan to thousands of North Carolinians.

Experts and designers from the high tech hub of RTP, NC showcased their science and technology breakthroughs and industrial design products in Changsha.

Hunan companies inked deal with RTI. NC State University professors brought innovation and design courses to Hunan University.

Changsha Chamber of Commerce and Carolina China Council signed partnership agreement.

Hunan TV and Carolina China Council co-produced the documentary “Unforgotten: the memorial of the Flying Tigers”.

Such exchanges and cooperations enhanced the mutual understanding and created positive impacts on both sides.

We have learned more about each other, understood more of each others culture, strengths and needs.

We have identified and are continuing to identify opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation, so our sister state, sister city and sister school relationships will continue to bring about great positive impacts to both sides.

The newly established Hunan-NC international innovation center is another vivid example of the fruitful relationships between Hunan and NC. I firmly believe it will be a success story and a solid platform to deepen our cooperation.

NC Governor Roy Coopers: “this center is an outstanding achievement creating more opportunity for cooperation and exchange on innovation and entrepreneurship between North Carolina and Hunan Province.”

Although we are entering the cold winter, but the warm spring is just ahead. I believe the US-China relationship will also warm up soon. It is up to you and me, and everyone sitting here today to work together to build a sisterly, prosperous, and mutually beneficial future for ourselves and for generations to come

Let’s do it!