After traveling thousands of miles, Taihu rock from China, weighing six and a half tons, landed and settled in a new location, the San Antonio Art Gallery in Texas.
The rock came as a gift to San Antonio from her sister, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, to celebrate their friendship.
A ceremony was held on November 6 at the museum to unveil this precious giant rock. From its location on the exhibition grounds, the rock can be seen from inside and outside the museum on the riverwalk, a famous city park and a favorite yard for hiking on the banks of the San Antonio River.
Officials from the Wuxi local government, officials from San Antonio and the Chinese Consulate General in Houston attended the ceremony.
Sun Guoqiang, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Wuxi City People´s Congress, said that since Wuxi and San Antonio established their brotherly relations in 2012, their cultural, economic and educational exchanges have been strengthened and consolidated.
"This Taihu rock will make our friendship closer," he said.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nairenberg said Taihu Rock had become a window into China.
"Our cities share the friendship and determination to bring our communities together through arts and history and the common desire to learn from each other. Our active brotherhood relations with Wuxi have included many exchanges and enhanced global diplomacy of the population in both cities," he said.
`` We are delighted to see this precious rock erect somewhere close to the banks of a beautiful and peaceful river, as a unique decoration in the city, and as a symbol of the long-standing friendship between the two cities, ´´ said Cai Wei, Chinese Consul General in Houston.
