Representatives take a group photo in Yuexiu Park.

Paula Williams Madison, director of the Los Angeles-Guangzhou Sister City Association, led a delegation to Guangzhou from Jan 25 to 31 to promote friendly exchanges between the United States and China.

On the morning of Jan 27, the delegation visited Yuexiu Park to explore the Guangzhou-Los Angeles Friendship Garden and engage in discussions with individuals from the US residing in Guangzhou.

Los Angeles and Guangzhou established their sister city relationship on Dec 8, 1981, making Los Angeles the second international sister city of Guangzhou. Over the past 40 years, the sister city relationship between Guangzhou and Los Angeles has become a highlight of Sino-US local cooperation, playing a crucial role in enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the people of the two cities and deepening exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

The Guangzhou-Los Angeles Friendship Garden was built in 2021 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the relationship. The garden prominently displays monuments commemorating the sister city relationship between the two cities and gifts that Los Angeles has presented to Guangzhou every decade.

It also features the kapok, the city flower of Guangzhou, and the bird of paradise flower, the city flower of Los Angeles, serving as an important symbol of friendship between the two cities.

Madison leads the delegation to Guangzhou every year, promoting friendly exchanges and cooperation between Los Angeles and Guangzhou in the fields of culture, education, and trade.