District Administrator Dietmar Allgaier said at the reception and the signing of the action plan: "Municipal friendships like ours make it clear how much influence each individual has at municipal level to stay in contact and promote mutual understanding despite turbulent global political times." He emphasized that it is something special that a district has maintained a partnership with a municipality in China for three decades - especially as such connections are a rarity in Baden-Württemberg. In addition to members of the district council, Dr. Marc Nickel, Managing Director of the clinics, and Thomas Raab, member of the Kreissparkasse board, were also on site in China.
3-year action plan expands cooperation
In the newly signed action plan, the two partners agreed on priority areas of cooperation. In addition to the existing areas of healthcare, culture and education, which were defined in the 1995 cooperation agreement, the action plan adds the two topics of tourism and municipal development. The two local authorities have also agreed to intensify their exchange through video conferences, reciprocal visits and delegation trips.
Cultural sounds and official meetings
The delegation trip was accompanied by the district youth orchestra (KJO) of the Ludwigsburg District Brass Band Association, which performed in the twin city of Yichang for the first time. With the performance at the reception and other concerts during the trip, the KJO brought a piece of German culture to the stages of the partner region. The trip was also made possible by a donation of 20,000 euros from the Kreissparkasse Ludwigsburg. For the leading financial institution in the Ludwigsburg district, charitable commitment is a core concern that is part of the corporate philosophy. Among the five areas supported by the Kreissparkasse and its five foundations, "art and culture" plays a central role.
The program included official visits to Yichang Central People's Hospital (Xiling Campus) (formerly the 1st People's Hospital in Yichang), Yiling High School (formerly Yiling Middle School), the Yichang Museum and a photo exhibition on the 30th anniversary of the friendship, as well as a visit to the Three Gorges Dam and the city of Yidu.
Development of the friendship over three decades
Since the early 1990s, the district of Ludwigsburg has had a partnership with the city of Yichang in central China, and a cooperation agreement was signed in the district hall in 1995. Yichang has four million inhabitants and is located in the province of Hubei. The friendship focuses on healthcare, culture and vocational training. Specialist doctors and nursing staff have been visiting each other at Yichang Central People's Hospital and Ludwigsburg Clinic for over three decades. In addition, Friedrich-Schiller-Gymnasium in Marbach offers Chinese as a third foreign language and has had an official school partnership with Yiling High School in Yichang since 2007.
