Sister District Activity
Selwyn Residents Visit Shandan
Mayor, Kelvin Coe with his wife Gem, Selwyn District Council’s CEO Paul Davey and Margaret, Gavin Kidd, Principal of Ellesmere College and Liz with the assistance of William McQui and Geoff Song who represented Lincoln University in Shanghai travelled to Shandan in July 2010. The Chinese version of the Sister City agreement was signed. Governor Liu and his team along with the Selwyn delegates worked out areas of mutual cooperation. These areas included reciprocal visits, agriculture, education and infrastructure.
The delegation visited the Rewi Alley Memorial, Shandan Bailie School, Zhangye, a forest and Buddhist retreat and many agricultural enterprises including production of grapes, pears and vegetables. At the Horse Farm the group was entertained by the local people and we were able to ride horses before sharing an evening meal together.
Mayor, Kelvin Coe visited Shandan in 2015 as part of a Christchurch Citizens group. Christchurch Mayor, Lianne Dalzell joined the citizens’ group in Lanzhou and Shandan. It was the first time the two Canterbury Mayors had visited Shandan together. A highlight was Mayor Dalzell singing a Chinese song which Governor Liu joined in.
In 2016, Allison Rosanowki, the Chairperson of Selwyn’s Sister Committee, was invited to the unveiling ceremony of the magnificent statue of Rewi Alley and George Hogg on the new Shandan Bailie Vocational College campus. The College was under construction and opened in the autumn of 2020. A wreath laying ceremony at the memorial tomb of Rewi Alley, a visit to the Zhangye Geological Park and attending the Belt and Road Conference in Dunhuang were highlights. Most important was the opportunity to catch up with old friends in Shandan.
Selwyn’s Mayor Sam Broughton travelled to Shandan in September 2018. The group included Deputy Mayor Malcolm Lyall and his wife Nicola and Councillor Bob Mugford and Pam. On this occasion, Allison Rosanowski had to withdraw from the group following a skiing injury. There were many familiar faces to host the group following the 120th Rewi Alley celebrations in Canterbury.
Students at Shandan Bailie School were enjoying sports, and many practical classes including metal lathe work and engineering electrical courses. Up to now, the new large Rewi Alley Vocational College has finished its construction and opened last year.
Six families were farming sheep together on a cooperative farm. The short fat tailed sheep are kept in sheds with concrete feed pads outside. They are fed hay and grain all year.
Mayor Sam noted that Shandan has many similarities to Selwyn: they grow lambs, grapes and wheat and use snow fed streams for irrigation. There are business and tourism opportunities between our two regions which will add to the person to person relationships already formed.
Annually the Gansu Province has offered a young person from Selwyn the opportunity to spend a month in Lanzhou with representatives from Lanzhou with other Sister City representatives. In 2020 Covid interrupted this most worthwhile programme.
