24 Feb, 2018

Adelaide - Qingdao Relationship Celebrated with New Rose Garden and Stunning Statue: Song of the Wind

The Lord Mayor will join guests this morning at Veale Gardens as the City of Adelaide launches the Adelaide – Qingdao Rose Garden, with lion dancing, face painting, calligraphy workshops and a range of free, family-friendly activities.

The Sister City relationship between the City of Adelaide and the City of Qingdao in Shandong Province, China was established in 2014.

To celebrate the strong and growing friendship between Adelaide and Qingdao, Council has established an Adelaide – Qingdao Rose Garden which includes ‘Song of the Wind’, a sculpture generously donated by the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government.

A matching “sister” of the sculpture is located in Little Qingdao Park in the City of Qingdao. The two statues echo each other across the Pacific, bonding the friendship between Adelaide and Qingdao.

Lord Mayor Martin Haese said the rose garden is a perfect place for reflection and celebrations such as weddings, and that it will be a popular destination for visitors from China as well as locals.

“The Adelaide – Qingdao Rose Garden which features the remarkable new Song of Wind statue really is a place for everyone to enjoy and we are very proud it is now completed,” said Martin.

“I look forward to a large crowd joining us to celebrate the official opening of the garden and enjoying a range of free and fun activities with their family and friends,” said Martin.

“Adelaide’s Sister City relationship with Qingdao is strong and extremely important to our city, and this beautiful rose garden and statue symbolises the strong bond of friendship between the two cities.”

The Lord Mayor and Councillor David Slama have led three business delegations from Adelaide to visit Qingdao over the past three years and the City of Adelaide has put great value on the relationship. South Ward Councillor Priscilla Corbell-Moore, who has played an integral role in the establishment of the Adelaide – Qingdao Rose Garden, will be Master of Ceremonies at today’s event, with official proceedings commencing from 11:30am.

The City of Adelaide and the City of Qingdao entered into a Friendly Agreement in March 2001 and a Sister City Agreement in 2014. Under these agreements, bonds of friendship between our peoples flourish and the two cites cooperate and exchange in the fields of trade, business, tourism, education, and culture to promote common prosperity and development.

Read more about the sister city relationship.

Simon Latimer