Batesville, In. — The City of Batesville hosted a delegation from its Sister City, Haiyan County, China, on Monday December 3.
The exchange began with opening remarks and a gift exchange by Mayor Mike Bettice and his counterpart, Zhu Beihua, Vice Director of The Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Haiyan County.
“We feel very honored and pleased to have the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Batesville,” Beihua said.
The six Chinese delegates joined city officials for tours of Hill-Rom, Weberding Carving Shop, The Sherman, Batesville Area Historical Center, St. Andrews Health Campus and Batesville Community School Corporation (BCSC).
BCSC Chinese Immersion teachers Zixin Gao and Haiyang Wang provided translation services throughout the day.
This marked the second delegation from Haiyan County to visit Batesville, the first time being the establishment of the Sister City relationship in 2013.
“Our two cities are vastly different in many ways, for example, Haiyan County has a much larger population,” said Mayor Mike Bettice. “However, we found plenty of common ground and I believe our hospitality, educational programs and culture made a positive impact on them.”
The Sister City relationship was formed in 2013 to promote exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, culture and education.
Haiyan County has a population of about 370,000 and is a located in the Zhejiang Province of China.
The Indiana-Zhejiang Province relationship began in 1987 when Governor Robert Orr signed a sister-state agreement with officials from the Zhejiang Province.
Batesville is one of twelve Indiana cities to have a sister-city relationship with a community in Zhejiang.
