ROANOKE VALLEY IS ∞ KISU OL MU P ∞ Ó L N I A J I I R A N O L G F Around Our World O ROANOKE VALLEY SISTER CITIES, INC. P U O J L N E O ∞ W P S ∞ K Ô O -L Volume 23, Issue 1 | January - June 2020 Like us on Facebook! V ∞ SAINT SISTER CITIES Hopeful reflections for a challenging time By Rebecca Chang Year at the Taubman Museum. At the Roanoke-Lijiang co-chairwoman time, our friends in Lijiang were under
[email protected] tremendous pressure to find medical supplies, whether from local sources When we welcomed the New Year or abroad. It should have served as a of 2020, no one expected what would warning sign for us; in early February, follow in the spring. By the end of medical masks and other essential January, people around the world supplies became hard to find here in the watched COVID-19 evolve in Wuhan, In concert at the Chinese New Year celebration are United States. The good news is that (from left) Yi-Wen Evans, Andy Wang, Jane Wang, China, at a time when millions of Chinese government soon brought the Patrick Branch, Benedict Goodfriend, Jahanvi Patel people were traveling home to be with situation under control and our friends and Trinity Paschal. their families and celebrate China’s in Lijiang were freed from their dire need careful, be strong.” most important holiday. For Chinese- for protective gear. Instead of “Happy And yet, despite these events, spring Americans, it was an anxious time with new year!” my correspondence with our came to the Roanoke Valley with flowers many of us having families in China.