Embassy Minister Counselor Thomas Skipper Visits Wuhan to Strengthen Cultural Ties
September 21, 2009: At the invitation of Consul General Wendy Lyle, Embassy Minister Counselor for Public Affairs Thomas Skipper led a team of Embassy academic and cultural affairs officers to visit Wuhan and reach out to cultural leaders and academicians. Escorted by Hubei Foreign Affairs officers and the Consul General, Mr. Skipper visited Hubei Provincial Bureau and met with Director Du Jianguo to underscore the importance of mutually beneficial partnerships and to lobby for future collaboration. Mr. Du thanked the U.S. government and the American people for their generosity in providing a grant to help showcase Hubei Museum’s ancient silk embroidery collection to the general public. He also expressed Hubei’s appreciation for U.S. efforts to support the preservation and display of the Xiongjia Tomb treasures in Jingzhou as another symbol of goodwill and cooperation.

The U.S. Embassy delegation met Hubei Cultural Bureau Director Du Jianguo and Wuhan Deputy Mayor Liu Shunni The Embassy delegation also met with Deputy Mayor of Wuhan Liu Shunni, who is in charge of cultural affairs and enhanced the warm relationship that the Consul General Lyle enjoyed with Wuhan Municipality.
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| The U.S. Embassy delegation received a guided tour of Hubei Provincial Museum |
As part of his visit to Wuhan, Mr. Skipper and other members of the Embassy delegation met with Wan Quanwen, Acting Director of Hubei Provincial Museum, to follow up on the grant project that the museum has been working on with the U.S. Embassy and Consulate General Wuhan. Escorted by Hubei officials and the Consul General, the Embassy delegation received a guided tour of the museum’s internationally renowned bronze collection, which dates back to the Warring States Period (476-221 BC).