Indiana-China Sister Cities: Carmel, Indiana and Xiangyang, Hubei

BY ECHO LU

The Carmel-Xiangyang Sister City initiative was implement to create more education, cultural and economic exchange opportunities between Carmel, Indiana and Xiangyang, Hubei. Leaders from both cities have expressed great interest in establishing a formal Sister City relationship between Carmel and Xiangyang.

Established in 2012, the mission of the Carmel-Xiangyang Sister City Committee is to foster international cooperation and understanding within and between the cities of Carmel and Xiangyang and to promote Chinese culture, education, and business exchange in the Greater Carmel area.

To fulfill this mission, the committee develops and promotes cultural and education programs as well as, cross-city exchanges and networking opportunities for individuals, groups and organizations in areas such as business, technology, healthcare, housing and urban development, environment, arts, culture, tourism and education.

Carmel is a suburban city in Hamilton County, located immediately north of Indianapolis. It has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the country. In 2012, Carmel was selected the Best Place to Live in United States by CNN Money magazine.

The Meridian Corridor serves as a large concentration of corporate space within the City. It is home to more than 40 corporate headquarters and many more regional offices. Several large companies reside in Carmel, and it serves as the national headquarters for Allegion, CNO Financial Group, MISO, Delta Faucet, and ITT Technical Institute.

Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province. The city it an incorporation of two once separate, ancient cities: Fancheng and Xiangzhou. Both cities served prominent historical roles in both the ancient and pre-modern periods of Chinese history.

Xiangyang possesses large water energy resources whilst its mineral deposits include rutile, ilmenite, phosphorus, barite, coal, iron, aluminum, gold, manganese, nitre and rock salt. The reserves of rutile and ilmenite rank highly in China. As the home of Dongfeng Motors, Xiangyan is a well-known automobile hub and partners with foreign manufacturers to produce Nissan and Infiniti models for domestic sales.

Every year in September, the City of Carmel would host the Mooncake Festival to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, a tradition for family to gather together to appreciate the beauty of the full moon and enjoy great food and family time.