The Qinghuangdao & Nanchong Subcommittee

Qinhuangdao is known as the Glass City of China and is a major port about a two-hour train ride from Beijing. As one of the most beautiful and pleasant Chinese cities near the Pacific Ocean, Qinhuangdao is also a popular vacation destination. Its population during the 2020 national census was 3,136,879, with 1,881,047 people living in the built-up (or 'metro') area made up of 4 urban districts.
Michael Cicak of Glasstech Inc worked closely with Mayor Donna Owens in 1985 to establish this sister city relationship. Since then, many Chinese and American community leaders have developed and supported joint initiatives that encompass educational and cultural exchanges, business and economic development, and medical and health collaboration.
This constructive cooperation has led to the development of a partnership agreement between Yanshan University and The University of Toledo. The Toledo Hospital has also developed a partnership with Qinhuangdao’s First People’s Hospital.
In September 2010, a delegation from Toledo led by Mayor Michael Bell met in Beijing with a delegation from Qinhuangdao, and the China Committee of Toledo Sister Cities International was established to further support this relationship.
Since the official establishment of the sister city relationship, many delegations from Qinhuangdao have come to visit Toledo. Qinhuangdao has also sent Chinese students to the International Youth Academy. Many college students from Qinhuangdao also came to study in Toledo. In 2005, under the support of TSCI, the University of Toledo (UT) offered “in-state-tuition” to the students from Qinhuangdao who studied at UT. From December 2007 to May 2008, UT dispatched 3 groups of EMBA and MBA graduates to Qinhuangdao to learn Chinese economic strategy, economic development environment, and economic policies.
For the 30th anniversary of Toledo-Qinhuangdao Sister City celebration, the Greater Toledo International Youth Orchestra visited Qinhuangdao in June 2015.  An education delegation from Qinhuangdao visited Toledo in November 2015 and the Qinhuangdao municipal delegation visited Toledo in December 2015. The delegations met with the Mayor of Toledo, visited University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University, and toured some local schools and companies.  
In March 2018, at the invitation of the QHD/NC committee a group of 13 music performers from Yanshan University in Qinhuangdao visited Toledo area. The group performed at the Bowling Green State University, The University of Toledo, and Lourdes University.  This was an unprecedented event with extraordinary success.

Located in the northeastern Sichuan Basin by the Jialing River, Nanchong covers an area of 12.5 thousand square kilometers. At the 2020 census it was home to 5,607,565 people, of whom 1,936,534 lived in the built-up (or 'metro') area made of three urban districts. It is the second most populated city of Sichuan Province, after Chengdu. The City of Nanchong was established more than 2,200 years ago. It is the cradle of the Three Kingdoms that existed nearly 2,000 years ago. Nanchong is the hometown for North Sichuan Folk Arts, which is characterized by the North Sichuan Giant Puppet, North Sichuan Lantern Opera, North Sichuan Shadow Play and North Sichuan Paper Cut.
Nanchong is a garden city with exquisite scenery.  It encompasses many interesting historic sites such as the cultural relics of the Three Kingdoms and ancient castle Fengshui and the charming Jialing River. The nearby Langzhong city is one of the four most well-preserved ancient cities in China and is designated by the Chinese government as a top (5A) National Tourist Attraction area.
There are three major universities in Nanchong: the North Sichuan Medical College, the Southwest Petroleum University, and the China West Normal University.  Major industries in Nanchong include petroleum and gas chemical industry, automobile and auto parts industry, textile and clothing industry, organic farm products processing industry, trade, and logistics industry. In 2016, Nanchong achieved a GDP of RMB 165.14 billion (~26 billion US$), which ranked 5th in Sichuan Province and 1st in Northeast Sichuan.
Inspired by the memorandum of understanding signed in 2012 between the University of Toledo (UT) and North Sichuan Medical College (NSMC), Dr. Chengjun Li, the former President of NSMC, proposed to the former Dean Johnnie Early of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences of The University of Toledo that a sister city relationship be established between Toledo and Nanchong. Through the effort of Mr. James Hartung of the Board of Trustees of Toledo Sister Cities International and Mr. Siguo (Robert) Zhang of the Foreign Relationship Office of NSMC, a sister cities agreement was signed by then Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson and Nanchong Mayor Qungang Wu on February 15, 2017. In October 2018, Nanchong Mayor, Wu Qungang led a delegation to visit Toledo and signed an affirmation of the sister city agreement.
In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, QHD/NC Committee worked with Nanchong People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries organized a Nanchong China – Toledo USA Online and Offline Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting Exhibition.  About 40 artworks were sent from Toledo to Nanchong for the exhibition.  The opening ceremony was held in Nanchong on 12/22/2021 and was live-streamed, so people in Toledo could participate online. The exhibition was a big success, and it was reported by national media channels, such as China Central Radio and Television International Online http://sc.cri.cn/2021-12-23/171a8b4a-55d0-f46d-bcf2-82667902dc28.html and the Chinese Headline http://www.52hrtt.com/global/n/w/info/G1640156537257.