Liu Yandong, Vice Premier of the China, on her visit to Chicago, attended the University of Sino-US high-level roundtable meeting held at the University of Chicago in Nov. 2013. Vice Premier Liu attended the China Scholarship Council, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Later on that day, she visited the Ann & Robert H Lurie Children’s hospital of Chicago and Mayor Rahm Emanuel gave her a welcome speech, dinner and finished the evening by attending a Chicago Bulls NBA basketball game together.
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During her visit to Chicago, Vice Premier Liu showed gentle temperament, good storytelling and left a deep impression that Mayor Emanuel cited a quote from Chairman Mao, and praised Vice Premier Liu Yandong as “women who hold up half the sky.”
At the University of Chicago’s Sino-US high-level Roundtable, Liu Yandong told two stories as a keynote speaker.
The first story went as follows: 100 years ago, in 1914 the President of the University of Chicago Harry Pratt Judson other four other representatives traveled to China to investigate. After returning, he drafted a report entitled “Chinese medicine” , and recommended the establishment of a Medical University in China , and eventually the Beijing Union Medical College Medicine was established . The hospital has become one of the best in Chinese Medicine , This report organized by Judson was retained in the archive. Upon finishing this story, Vice Premier Liu Yandong presented a special a commemoration copy of Judson’s , ” Chinese medicine” report as a symbol of appreciation.
During the keynote speech at the end of the day, Vice Premier Liu told the story of Chinese worker named Liu DingLong and Columbia University ‘s Department of East Asia: 100 years ago , a man Chinese man named Ding, worked as a servant for an American named Horace . When Ding Long retired, Horace sincerely thanked him for decades of work, willingness to do everything to satisfy his desire. Surprisingly, the $12,000 DingLong only request is that the accumulation of his life by Horace came forward to donate the famous American university to build a Department of Sinology , so that more Americans understand his motherland and the people. Horace was deeply moved, almost Qingqi possessions, together with Ding Long donated so far to establish a world-renowned East Asian Studies at Columbia University.
Mayor Emanuel at the welcome dinner hosted Liu Yandong speech. Mayor Emanuel especially mentioned his own family history, and the important role it has played in promoting China-US cultural exchanges and friendly relations. Liu said that in 1930, her father (杨显东) arrived United States to study at Cornell University during the transfer process had come to Chicago to conduct research on cotton classification. At the time, Mr. Adams Cotton meters grading standards are one of the founders gave great help and blessing of his research topics become seeds of a scientific fruition in the land of China. Liu said the meters are now Adams has aspirations to become a reality, not only China ‘s cotton industry has made considerable progress in China-US local cooperation , Sino-US relations have developed two exchanges also show the trend of vigor and charm.
In charge of China’s science and education departments, Vice Premier Liu stressed the importance of Sino-US cultural exchanges and promote friendship .
Liu said that cultural exchanges and political trust, economic and trade exchanges , are the three pillars of Sino-US relations. Her visit to the U.S. this time, was mainly to implement the consensus of the two heads of state, and Secretary of State Warren cultural exchanges and co-chaired the first round of high-level change of government after two consultations. Liu Yandong said that since 2010 the humanities exchange mechanism starts, the two sides in the six areas of education, science, culture, sports, women, youth and other remarkable achievements, and Sino-US cultural exchanges will be held 21 high-level consultations in Washington , will opened a new chapter in Sino-US cultural exchanges.