40th Anniversary Heritage Tour and Friendship Conference

At the invitation of then-Governor Terry Branstad, a five-man delegation from Hebei visited the State of Iowa from April 27 through May 11, 1985, to learn about U.S. agricultural practices. The visit had a profound impact on its leader.  To this day, he counts the many Iowans he met as “Old Friends”, and has commented that “To me, you are America.” April 2025 will mark the 40th anniversary of that original visit to Iowa.

The Sino-U.S. Friendship House Museum has organized a 4-day guided tour that enables participants to retrace the steps and relive the warm welcome experienced by the delegation in 1985.  The tour features exclusive events not available to the public, including gala dinners with many of the Old Friends, and access to the 40th Anniversary “Celebrating Friendship” Conference with the Old Friends and various senior government officials