BALTIMORE — A delegation from Baltimore's sister city of Xiamen, China, will visit the Enoch Pratt Central library next week.
It's "the first step in a larger initiative by the Pratt Library to bring global perspectives to Baltimore residents" - as the Pratt library is planning to hold an international library conference in the coming years.
Xiamen, a major seaport with about 5 million people, has been a Sister City of Baltimore for 40 years.
Xiamen leaders have visited Baltimore in the past, just not Pratt Library. In 2020, Xiamen donated 50,000 surgical masks to the city.
The Pratt library's Central branch will debut an exhibit with 40 photos of Xiamen, and there'll be a cultural gift exchange.
The exchange "underscores the Pratt Library’s role in fostering international understanding, access to information, and public service," said the library in a press release.
The visit will be April 8 and is not open to the general public.
Xiamen's Vice Mayor Zhuang Rongliang will be among the attendees, along with Maryland Chiefs of Staff, Baltimore City Deputy Mayor J.D. Merrill, and Pratt executives.
The library has held similar events in the past, such as a "make your own traditional Chinese fan" event in 2021.
