Delegation from Jiaxing welcomed to Lincolnton

A delegation from China's Xiuzhou District in the Zhejiang Province and officials from Lincoln County will participate in a formal ceremony during which a memorandum will be signed, designating the district and the county as sister communities. The ceremony is set for today (Thursday) at 10 a.m. at the Lincoln County Courthouse. Here, the Chinese delegation is pictured at the State Capitol with Governor Sonny Perdue and other state and local officials.

A delegation from the Xiuzhou District in the Zhejiang Province of China arrived in Lincoln County earlier this week for a formal ceremony during which a memorandum, designating the county and the district as sister communities, will be signed.

In March of 2006, representatives from Lincoln County and the State of Georgia visited the Xiuzhou District and took part in a similar ceremony.

The reciprocal ceremony is scheduled for Thursday (today) at 10 a.m. in the courtroom at the Lincoln County Courthouse. The program will conclude at the new Friendship Fountain, located across the street from the courthouse.

Included in the Chinese delegation is Shuilin Xu, president of Hero Metal Furniture Company, Ltd., based in Jiaxing City. During a visit to Lincolnton in July of 2007, Xu was presented with the key to Hero Metal Furniture's new United States distribution center, a 36,000-square-foot facility located in the 378 Industrial Park behind Top Grill, LLC.

In addition to the festivities at the courthouse, the public is also invited to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony at Hero Metal Furniture Company later in the day. The ceremony, which is set to begin 1:30 p.m., will be followed by a reception at Top Grill at 2 p.m.

Founded by Xu in 1996, Hero Metal Furniture Company manufactures cast iron, cast aluminum, woven cushion, and sling products. These products are exported to the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Japan.

After the reception at Top Grill, the Chinese delegation will make its way to the Atlanta airport for the return trip home. While in the United States, the delegation is being led by Deputy Governor Hailong Qi of the Zhejiang Province.

Xu and other representatives of the Hero Metal Furniture Company arrived in Atlanta on Saturday, October 20, with government officials from Jiaxing City flying in on Sunday.

Since the moment their plane touched down in Atlanta, the visitors from China have enjoyed a wide variety of activities, designed to give them a taste of some of the things that make the State of Georgia and Lincoln County unique.

While in Atlanta, the delegates toured the Governor's Mansion; met Governor Sonny Perdue; ate lunch at the State Capitol as guests of Senator Bill Jackson and Representative Barry Fleming; visited the World of Coke, Centennial Park, and Pemberton Park; and were given a VIP tour of the CNN Center.

After arriving in Lincolnton on Tuesday afternoon and checking in the Savannah Lakes Village Condominiums, the group was treated to a low country boil at the Mattison Farm off of Highway 79 in Lincoln County.

On Wednesday, the Chinese delegates were scheduled to tour Elijah Clark State Park and the Lincoln County Historical Park. A cruise on the Savannah River and a dinner, hosted by Top Grill, were also planned.

In his comments, Walker Norman, chairman of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, said, "We are proud to welcome these visitors to our beautiful county and hope their stay here will further cement our twin goals of economic development and friendship."