2012-04-25 11:43 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25 , 2012 FORT WORTH, Texas- 71 Fort Worth delegates have returned from Guiyang, China on an inaugural exchange to Fort Worth’s eighth sister city. The delegation was led April 13-22 by State Senator Jane Nelson and City Councilman Dennis Shingleton. Along with the delegation, 28 members of the Texas Wesleyan University choir attended at the invitation from Mayor Li Zaiyong of Guiyang. Mayor Li extended the invitation on Oct. 17, 2011, after the Wesleyan Chamber Singers sang at the official signing of Guiyang as Fort Worth’s sister city. The TWU choir performed in the Guiyang Grand Theater with the Guiyang Symphony. Hundreds were in attendance and strong friendships were created during this exchange between two universities.  The choir was accompanied by John Fisher, chair of the music department, and Jerome Bierschenk, director of choral activities. While in Guiyang, the delegates experienced Fort Worth’s newest sister city by exploring sites of historic interest in and around Guiyang, a city of more than 4.3 million. Sights visited included the Ming Dynasty temple and rang a ceremonial bell in the city square. The group also traveled to Beijing where they explored Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. The delegation participated in talks on how to develop future business opportunities between the two cities, as well as educational and cultural exchanges.  As a special recognition, Guiyang Mayor Li made the following people honorary citizens of Guiyang:   Senator Jane Nelson and Mike Nelson Dennis Shingleton Brad Mahon Mike Hyatt John &Nancy Burgoyne Mae Ferguson David Dubois Irene Chase   For more information, visit Fort Worth Sister Cities’ Guiyang travel blog at https://fwsistercitiesguiyang.wordpress.com/ or contact Mae Ferguson, President and CEO, at (817) 732- 7104 or mae@fwsistercities.org.

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