“One Foot in the Future and One Foot in the Past。”This is my foremost impression as I visit Quzhou。One cannot miss the old and the new existing side by side。As a foreigner it is difficult to say which is the“Real China”。Is it the large number of people riding their old bicycles loaded down with goods or is it the black shiny luxury car being driven down the street？Is it the school in rural areas with the leaking roof or is it the ultra modern schools being built in Quzhou？Is it the four lane expressway or is it the single lane walking path to a remote village？Everywhere I look I see the old and the new existing side by side。“One Foot in the Future and One Foot in the Past”。
This is my second visit to Quzhou。My first trip was in 1998 when I came with a Sister City delegation。At the time I was Mayor of Red Wing，a small American city，so I was very interested in Chinese City Government，how it worked and how it cared for its people。
Quzhou and Red Wing，USA，began after a reunion was arranged in Red Wing to honor Chinese Farmers who in World War 2 had res-cued and saved American pilots。Chinese Farmers and American Pi-lots were reunited after nearly 50 years。The event was very emo-tional and created in the minds of Red Wing citizens an appreciation for what these Chinese friends had done for them。
In 1992，at a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid，US President George Bush spoke highly of this segment of history：“On this special occasion，we also salute those good people in China who，following the raid and without regard for their own well-being，provided shelter and protection for wounded Americans。Thanks to such humanitarian efforts，these Raiders were able to find their way back to safety。Although half a century has passed since their gold strike in the name of freedom，the Doolittle Raiders continue to inspire respect and awe among the American people。We will never forget their extraordinary contribution—nor that of their Chinese rescuers—to the worthy cause of liberty and justice。”
On this trip I was joined by a delegation of 14 citizens of Red Wing and I must say something of our welcome。We were made to feel like honored guests！The welcoming events were beyond deion。For example the students of Number 2 Middle School rolled out a block long Red Carpet and the street was lined with cheer-ing students waving Chinese and American flags。Many of the delega-tion members，including myself，had tears in their eyes and they will always remember the smiling faces of the students。