SHANGHAI & SHENYANG, CHINA
Chicago’s Sister City Since 1985

Committee Co-Chair: Ray Chin and William Spence

Mayor: Han Zheng
Country:   China
Country Location:   Eastern Asia
Country Population: Over 1 billion  
City Population:  Over 14 million  
Geography: Situated along the eastern coast of China
History:  Shanghai has always been the country’s major seaport link with the West. It is the largest and most densely populated city in the world. The French arrived in 1847 and an International Settlement was established. The world’s greatest houses of finance and commerce operated in Shanghai in the 1930s. The city continues to grow, with new underground stations highways crisscrossing the city, the most modern stock exchange in the world, and a modern airport.
Industry:  Complex machinery, cellular phones, automobiles, textiles and foodstuffs    
Did You Know? Fuzhou Road, known as Shanghai’s “cultural street,” has more than 100 bookstores and publishing firms. The city’s 36 publishing companies released 9,928 different book titles in 1997. Eighty-seven newspapers and 587 journals are published locally.  
Flag Description: Red symbolizes the Communist Revolution, the large gold star represents Communism and the four smaller stars represent the four classes of people – peasants, workers, petty bourgeoisie, and patriotic capitalists.  

Mayor: Li Yingjie
Committee Co-Chair: Ray Chin and William Spence
Country:   China 
Country Location:   Eastern Asia
Geography: Situated along the eastern coast of China 

History:  Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning province in northeastern China. Humans have inhabited Shenyang since 5,000 BC, and the present-day city was established circa 300 BC during the Warring States Period. From 1625 to 1644, Shenyang was the capital of the Manchus, who established the Qing Dynasty. Since 1949, the Chinese government has focused on turning Shenyang into a major industrial center.

Industry:  Shenyang is the center of China’s aeronautics industry, and the city’s machine tool industry is known throughout the world. Other strong sectors include chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, building materials and industrial equipment.

Did You Know? Because of its status as a former capital, Shenyang contains many historical sites, parks and museums. Shenyang is also home to more than 20 colleges and universities, including China Medical University, Shenyang Polytechnic University, Northeastern University and Shenyang Architectural University.

2008
January 16

Focus: General
The 10th District Congressman Mark Kirk spoke to the China Committee about the goals of the U.S.- China Working Group that he co-founded. Mr. Kirk praised Chicago’s Chinese World Language Program and the Confucius Institute. In addition, he discussed the city’s ongoing efforts to build the Year of China initiative in Chicago in 2009, which would not only help brand Chicago in China but also increase business opportunities. Kirk offered his support for the fundraising efforts of the China Committee to support this important project.