Home ITOSHIMA HIGH SCHOOL, Shinohara 380, Maebaru, Fukuoka, 819-1131 JAPAN

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Maebaru city, in which Itoshima High School is located, has made friendly city partnership affiliation with three cities in the world under the leadership of present city mayor, Mr. Haruta: with Escondido California in the US in July 1996, with Kime City in Korea in October 1997, and Qingpu in Shanghai in August 1998.

In response to Qingpu's invitation, Maebaru International Exchange Association organized a group of 24 citizens and dispatched the first delegation to Shanghai on October 15 in 1999 for a five-day trip. The party included Mr. Kousaku Nishihara, the chairman of the International Association, Mr. Katsuhiko Yoshimaru, a city council (as an International Association member), and Mr. Masatake Sakamoto, general manager of Japan-China Friendly Association in Maebaru City.

I  took part in the mission party with my daughter. That was my third visit to China.  In 1994 and 1995 I visited Beijing as a school trip.  I'd like to describe what Qingpu Zhen in Shanghai looked like.

The first delegates from Maebaru City lining with City Officials in front of the Quingpu City Hall

[[[[[ General Description of Quingpu ]]]]]
1) Location:
　　Qingpu is a part of that world-known international city, Shanghai. It is situated at 31.14 north latitude and 121.29 east longitude, and at the same latitude there are the southmost peninsula in Japan, Sata Peninsula, Huston Texas of US, Kuwait, and Cairo of Egypt. It has a mild climate with four distinct seasons and an average yearly temperature of 15.7C and an annual precipitation of 1,200mm. Shanghai International Airport is 960 kilometers away from Fukuoka. It is almost the same length to the Capital of Japan, Tokyo, and it takes one hour and 15 minutes to Shanghai and Tokyo by air. The fact that there is such a big city like Shanghai within such a short distance from Fukuoka might be an unexpected surprise to an average Fukuokaite. 　　

2) Population:
　　The total area of Shanghai city is 677 hm (6,341 sq.m.), of which Qingpu occupies 676km (261 sq.m.) with a total population of 460,000 in twenty towns and villages. The population of Qingpu is about seven times as large as that of Maebaru City.

3) Industry:
　　The main industry of Qingpu is farming. Qingpu with the hightest produce of rice, fish, chiken and eggs among the neighboring zhens ought to be called the food producing base for 13 million people in Shanghai. The transportation network is well established in Qingpu. It is only six kilometers to Shanghai Rainbow Bridge International Airport. There run fifteen water ways which can accept from 60 to 300 tons of ships. Highways run from Shanghai to Nan-Jin in the west and to Kangzhou in the south.

　　The function of Qingpu toward Shanghai is similar to the relationship between Maebaru and Fukuoka City. In accordance with economic development of Shanghai, Qingpu puts emphasis on the software on education, commerce and tourism. Howefer, tour industry in particular developed, and the annual visitors to Qingpu is now three million people.  Qingpu enjoys the 34th out of 1,894 Zhens in the whole China. 　
　
4) Education:
　　There are 21,128 students attending 29 middle schools, out of which Maebaru city has students exchange program with three middle schools in downtown area in Qingpu: Touhou Middle School (1368 students), Manjyu Middle School (667 students) and Qingpu Experimental Middle School (1224 students). Once in every two years Maebaru city dispatches four students from each of the three middle schools (12 students in one mission) and accepts Chinese students the next year. So far 36 junior high school students have visited Qingpu. In 2000 another 12 students will be chosen to visit Qingpu.

　　Now middle schools separate into middle high and senior high. Qingpu No.1 Middle School (401 students), Qingpu No.2 Middle School (1047 students) and Qingpu Higher School (1802 students) place priority on the education with the aim of sending their students to universities. Tohou Middle School and Qingpu No.2 Middle School has special classes to teach Japanese language. English Education begins in the third grade.

5) Recent Trend of Shanghai International Movement
　　From September 27 through29 in 1999, the Fortune Global Forum was held in the newly-completed Shanghai International Convention Center inviting 280 international businesses from around the world and 200 domestic Chinese businesses to discuss the economic development of China in the next 50 years. While Beiing is the center of politics, Shanghai is the center of economy and finance.

　　On October 1st, the 50 year anniversally of foundation was held all across the country. The ceremony in Shanghai was especially big partly because Shanghai was the birth place of Chinese Communist Party (the fist Chinese Communist Representatives' Meeting was held on July 1st in 1921), partly because the present chairman used to be Shanghai City Mayor.

　　On October 16, Shanghai Tourism Festival which would last for a month started. It was to the opening ceremony for this Shanghai Tourism Festival that the first Maebaru citizen delegate was invited.

Welcome Reception

With Mr. Lu Quo Guang, Chairman of the representatives With Mr. Peng Chen Lei, Vice-Magistrate

Qingpu City Hall (100 Gongyuan Road, Qingupu Shanghai)

Chairman Nakamura and Magistrate Chao Wei Lin

Magistrate Present Exchange

Opening Ceremony of Shanghai Internationa Boat Race 1999

Welcoming Elementary School children the very famouse Chinese Dragon Dance Sword Dance Quanfu

Japanese Participating Team in the Boat Race

人民政府　
県　長 巣　衛林
副県長　 人民大会（議会）
主　任　廬　国光
許　衛峰 　　　　
人民政府外事 主　任 胡　海民
係　員　許　仁華
係　員　朱　宏梅

Qingpu is called "Oriental Venice", with rivers running crisscross in the town. Thirty-six bridges cross the rivers, and hundreds of houses stand by the rivers. Market Entrance Butcher in the street Butcher in the market Vegetable Store in the market 　　The market was full of energy and so interesting that we decided to come back to Qingpu and to spend much more time in going around the town to be with people living there.