On Thursday, July 29, 2010, city officials from the Wuxing district in the Chinese city of Huzhou arrived in Valparaiso to tour the city. This wasn't just a "draw of the hat" tourism location for these officials. City leaders from Valparaiso and Huzhou City may become sister towns in the near future. Cai Xuchang, mayor of Huzhou City, has invited Mayor Costas to visit his city. Mayor Cai and other city officials experienced Valparaiso Thursday and Friday by touring Task Force Tips and Urschel Laboratories. They dined in at Strongbow Inn for lunch and finished off by touring the campuses of Ivy Tech and Valparaiso University.
At 6 p.m. on Friday, July 30, officials from both cities met at the Valparaiso University Center of the Arts for a banquet and ceremony to exchange local gifts and welcome Huzhou City officials to Valparaiso. Food and drink were provided along with live acoustic music. The Brauer Art Museum on the VU campus was also open for browsing pieces of artwork and sculptures. Mayor Jon Costas started the ceremony by giving gifts ranging from local sculptures to a book of photos from Air One Photography in Valparaiso. Mayor Cai in return presented gifts from the City of Huzhou. After the ceremony, members from both cities visited and applauded as Costas played a song on his guitar for everyone.
Mayor Cai thanked Valparaiso for the hospitality shown and stated similarities of the two cities such as being close to a fresh body of water, an abundance of friendly people, and receiving an award similar to Valparaiso's City of the Year Award. Leaders from both cities expressed how enjoyable it was to share in the occasion.