Most Chinese might never hear of State of Indiana in Midwest of the USA, but they have certainly heard of President Abraham Lincoln who grew up in the state, NBA superstar Michael Jordan and the founding father of Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel Senders who were both born there. Moreover, millions of NBA fans across China surely know about Indiana Pacers.
And people in Zhejiang know more about Indiana, for the province and the state now maintain a sisterly-state relationship since 1987. Since then, the two have shared many educational, cultural and business exchanges. On December 17, 2010, a Zhejiang Journalists Delegation set out to pay a friendly visit to Indiana and go on a reporting assignment there. The group consisted of six people and the visit was sponsored by the Foreign Affairs Office of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government.
It was early winter in Indiana. The ride toward downtown Indianapolis gave us an impressive view: houses were far and few and the land stretched endlessly between and behind them; there were few pedestrians; most people drove cars; supermarkets and shopping malls surprised us more: there were twos and threes of shoppers; we are more familiar with Chinese shopping malls: there are crowds and crowds of people. One thing that endeared us to Indiana was rows of gingko trees with golden leaves, adding a bright touch to the early winter. It is said that the gingko trees in America originally came from China when Li Hongzhang (1823-1901), a prime minister of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), brought them as gifts to America.
During our stay in the state, we visited a number of museums.
Indiana State Museum features steel and limestone as major construction materials. In the history of Indiana, steel represents the role the north of the state has played in industrialization and modernization whereas limestone highlights the foundation role the south plays. The state museum represents a memory of the Hoosiers, the nickname for the local people.
At a natural history museum, we saw a large collection of specimens and fossils of animals, plants and geological objects, which had come together through various channels. Seeing us take special interest in giant fossils of mastodons, the curator invited us into a warehouse of the museum and showed us more mastodon fossils contained in various boxes.
At a warehouse of a culture museum, we saw the manuscript of “The Emancipation Proclamation”, an ostrich-feather fan once used by Mrs. Lincoln, toys once owned by Lincoln’s son.
Since the sisterly-state relations between Zhejiang and Indiana in 1987, the two have strengthened friendly ties and cooperation and made remarkable progress in economy, trade, culture, and education thanks to the promotion of the governments of Zhejiang and Indiana. The Lieutenant Governor of Indiana Becky Skillman managed to find time to meet us despite her tight work schedule. In the interview, she said the state would do everything possible to support and encourage cooperation between Zhejiang and Indiana. The Lieutenant Governor mentioned her ties with Zhejiang. Some animal statues on the West Lake in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, are made of limestone from her hometown in Indiana. A stone lion from Zhejiang Province in commemoration of the founding of the sisterly-state relation now stands at the gate of Indiana State Zoo.
We visited University of Indianapolis, Robey Elementary School, and
Sagamore Institute, an Indianapolis-based nonpartisan think tank. The university has cooperative projects in partnership with Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University. After learning that we would like to interview some students who had studied in Zhejiang, the university made arrangements and we were able to talk with them.
Robey Elementary School has a sisterly relation with Tianchang Primary School in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province. When we stepped into the classroom building, it was already the time for pupils to leave school. Children were laughing and making noises everywhere. Those who stayed because their parents would be late to pick them up were playing games under the supervision of teachers. After learning we were journalists from Zhejiang, children rushed over, saying hello and examining our cameras. Some teachers and students we met had visited Tianchang Primary School early that year.
The school had spacious rooms and walls featured drawings and essays. Unlike Chinese schools, American pupils in elementary schools move from classroom to classroom for different subjects. We walked around, visiting the library, singing room, basketball room, arts and crafts room. We were deeply impressed by the Chinese room. On a round table were paper-cut artworks, silk, strings of beads, photo frames. The wall opposite to the classroom door showed pictures showing the exchange programs between Robey and Tianchang. The Chinese class was taught by a teacher from China. The teacher taught classes from third graders to sixth graders. Moreover, the teacher gave short lectures on Chinese culture including festivals and lifestyles. A small boy endeared himself to us by showing his achievement in Chinese: he counted numbers in Chinese.
Sagamore Institute is housed in an impressive building called the Levey Mansion. Originally built in the early 20th century by Indianapolis businessman Louis Levey, the two-storey structure features Beaux-Arts architecture and draws upon Italian Renaissance Revival style. The façade of the mansion is course-cut Indiana limestone and the interior was built and decorated to display the wealth and taste of its owners, from the exquisite stained glass skylight above the grand staircase to the onyx and ormolu fireplace imported from a European palace. In the photo gallery on the ground floor were a lot of valuable photos showing Mr. Levey and luminaries such as President Teddy Roosevelt and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks. These photos indicate the golden years of the residence.
Mr. Jay F. Hein, the president of the institute, and his colleagues met us. We sat down in a conference room on the second floor. Tea, coffee and cookies were served. We chatted happily. Mr. Hein said the institute was conducting an in-depth study of exchanges in the field of economy and trade between China and America. The institute was to publish its research results on American investment environment and law and regulation in a bid to help Chinese business to enter American market.