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China

Guilin, China established a Sister City relationship with Orlando in 1986.  With more than 2,200 years of history and world-renowned natural landscapes, Guilin is the second most popular tourist destination in China, after the Great Wall.  An industrial hub for the Guangxi province, Guilin’s top industries are rubber, electronics, medicine and agriculture.  Guilin has pagodas located in Lake Fir that light up the downtown scenery, much like Orlando’s Lake Eola fountain.

In November 2007, a delegation from Quanzhou visited Mayor Dyer.  Quanzhou is a well known historical town located in the southeastern Fujian Province.  David Fong and Dickson Wang with Transworld Partners, an Orlando-based company with real estate holdings both in Florida and China, lead the delegation.  Additionally, Dickson is President of Sunshine International Group, which is located in the Luo Jiang Newton district of China and is one of the world’s most advanced horticultural research and plant propagation centers.  The Chinese officials were in Orlando to observe a tourism center, as they are interesting in opening up their area to tourism with the development of a theme park in Quanzhou.  After a visit with the Mayor, they were on their way to visit Disney and observe the park.

A delegation from Shizuishan City, China came to visit Commissioner Lynum and take a tour of the city in November 2007.  The Commissioner visited Mayor Zuoli Zhang on a previous trip to China, so she was very happy to welcome them to Orlando.  Mayor Zuoli and Comissioner Lynum signed a Memorandum of Understanding at a signing ceremony held in the City Council Chambers on November 19th.  The delegation took a tour of City Hall, visiting the rotunda, gym, underground facilities, and even Commissioner Lynum’s office. 

Japan

Urayasu, Japan was established as a Sister City to Orlando in 1989.  An urban area on Tokyo Bay, Urayasu is the host city for Tokyo Disney Resort.  The city incorporates both elements of the original fishing village and the more metropolitan part of this modern city.  Urayasu has many international visitors and residents, and recently opened the city’s International Center in April of 2006.  Both the Tozai Subway Line and the Japan Railway Keiyo Line conveniently connect the Central Tokyo and Urayasu City in less than 20 minutes.

Commissioner Lynum met with a group of four athletes and their families from our Sister City Urayasu, Japan in November, 2007.  The athletes are runners who participated in the OUC Half Marathon on Saturday, December 1^st.  Orlando and Urayasu exchange runners to participate in each city’s marathon. Usually it is a trade off of runners every other year – one year Urayasu will host Orlando, and the next year Orlando will host runners from Urayasu. 

Russia

Orenburg, Russia has long been a Sister City of Orlando, established in 1997.  Located on the southern border of Russia on the historic Silk Road, Orenburg is a major crossroads for trade between Russia and Central Asia.  Orenburg is rich in natural energy resources such as oil, coal and gas and is also home to the Orenburg Tsentralny Airport and Orenburg Air Base.  The city contains a number of diverse universities and performing arts venues.

In November 2007 Mayor Dyer hosted a delegation from Russia participating in the Open World program.  The Russian delegation members were mostly elected local deputies who are also businessmen.  They, and other business people in the delegation, were primarily interested in economic development, both from the private sector point of view and from the perspective of the role of government. The Open World Program enables emerging Russian leaders to experience U.S. democracy and free enterprise in action in communities across the United States.

The group had a courtesy visit with the Mayor in the afternoon, followed by a meeting with Commissioner Sheehan.  Afterwards, the delegation visited the Global Gallery where they got a skyline view of Orlando, which they enjoyed very much.  At the end of the day, a dinner was held on the 9th floor of City Hall in their honor.

Taiwan, P.R.C.

Tainan, Taiwan was Orlando’s first-established Sister City in 1982.  A truly historic city, Tainan was the first established capital of Taiwan.  As the 4th largest city in Taiwan, Tainan is home to several high-tech industrial parks.  The city has a local airport, great city bus connections, and is a stop for the Taipei - Kaohsiung express line.  Tainan also features night markets, mangrove natural reserves and a coastal fortress.