08.15.2024

Today’s Forecast

✈️ Let’s take a journey across the pond

Seattle’s sister city: Chongqing, China

A nighttime view of a skyline in Chongqing, including the Qiansimen Bridge, Hongya Cave, and Chongqing World Financial Centre. Radiating city lights cast a purple-ish hue in the night sky.

The Qiansimen Bridge and Hongyadong commercial district are famous tourist attractions in Chongqing. | Photo by Jay Huang Photography

Over 6,000 miles away on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, one of Seattle’s 20 sister cities boasts stunning natural views and an abundance of historical sites.

Chongqing, China and Seattle developed a sister city status in 1983, and the partnership has since resulted in a wide variety of local exchanges and programs dealing with arts, government, medicine, and more.

So, what’s this sister city like? And what impacts has it made in our Emerald City?

Green rolling hills with steep cliffs of rock surround a small rural area of Chongqing, with an assortment of small buildings scattered along its valleys. — Rural areas like Fengjie County have stunning geographical features, contrasting with central Chongqing’s cityscape.
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Photo by Jundong Zhao

Let’s chat about Chongqing

Known as the “Mountain City,” Chongqing is nestled in southwest China amid steep hills and the banks of the Yangtze + Jialing rivers. Just over 30 million people call this province home, which is similar in size to Maine.

Evidence of organized civilization in the area can be traced back as early as 11th century BCE, followed by a rich history spanning several dynasties and system reforms.

Visitors flock to the area’s historical sites and institutions, including the People’s Square and ancient Dazu Rock Carvings (an established UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Figures in long robes and flowing garments are carved into stone, with some bearing pigment from old coats of paint including faded oranges and blues. — The Dazu Rock Carvings date back as far as seventh century AD, with figures influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs.
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Photo by Dr. Hans-Günter Wagner

Results of the Seattle-Chongqing partnership

The Seattle-Chongqing Sister City Association is responsible for over 200 exchange programs in education, arts, government, trade, medicine, and science in its 40 years.

For example, Seattle Chinese Garden was designed and built in collaboration with artists + architects from Chongqing, now standing as a visual representation of our cities’ strong relationship and shared natural beauty.

Chongqing also contributed to one of the Burke Museum’s most popular visiting exhibits when it loaned three large dinosaur skeletons in the 1980s.

Get involved

The Seattle Chinese Garden regularly hosts events where locals can learn more about Chinese culture. Folks can also check out one of the China Club of Seattle’s five annual membership events that are intended to help increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation of developments in Chinese culture.

Events

Thursday, Aug. 15

Wine and Ice Cream Pairing | Thursday, Aug. 15 | 7 p.m. | J Bell Cellars: Woodinville Warehouse District | $25 | Cool down and wind down with this pairing featuring four ice cream flavors + four wines.
“Dolly!” | Thursday, Aug. 15-Sunday, Sept. 8 | 6:30 p.m. | Can Can Culinary Cabaret | $69-$89 | This rhinestone-encrusted country burlesque will have you quaking in your cowboy boots.

Friday, Aug. 16

Peso Pluma: Exodo Tour | Friday, Aug. 16 | 8 p.m. | Climate Pledge Arena | $39.50-$249.50 | This eight-time Platinum artist wrote the first regional Mexican song to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
2024 Refuge Outdoor Festival | Friday, Aug. 16-Sunday, Aug. 18 | Times vary | Tolt-MacDonald Park & Campground | $25-$180 | Go camping with hundreds of other nature enthusiasts at this BIPOC-focused outdoor festival.
The Moth StorySLAM: Comebacks | Friday, Aug. 16 | 8-10 p.m. | Bloedel Hall, St. Mark’s | $15 | Prepare a five-minute story about a time you dusted yourself off after getting knocked down, or join the audience to listen in.

Saturday, Aug. 17

CID Block Party | Saturday, Aug. 17 | 1-9 p.m. | Chinatown-International District | Free | Live music, artists, vendors, and chefs are gearing up to take over an I-5 underpass.
5k Beer Run x Lucky Envelope Brewing | Saturday, Aug. 17 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Lucky Envelope Brewing | $35-$50 | Take a jog, then chug a well-earned brew — you worked hard, ya know?
Wombats & Watermelons | Saturday, Aug. 17 | 3-5 p.m. | Golden Gardens Park | Bring your own watermelon for races, crushing competitions, and a costume contest that benefits families in need.
Skate For Ukraine: The Forest Song | Saturday, Aug. 17 | 6-8 p.m. | Kraken Community Iceplex | $25-$60 | Watch Ukrainian ice skating world champions glide across the ice, with proceeds benefitting Ukrainians in need of prosthetics and rehabilitation care.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Network

Looking to invest in more professional connections, Seattle?

A woman standing in the front of a crowd of people speaking into a microphone.

World Trade Center Seattle was founded in 1998 and connects leading regional and international corporations, and nonprofit organizations. | Photo provided by World Trade Center Seattle

By offering opportunities for networking and collaboration, World Trade Center Seattle brings leaders together in a spacious, supportive, and professional environment.

Members enjoy benefits like:

Co-working and meeting spaces in the Alaska Airlines member lounge
Boardrooms for formal meetings, retreats + classes
Elevated lunch service with stunning views of Elliot Bay
Networking at member receptions, happy hours + off-site activities
Curated discounts on experiences + services
Complementary valet parking

Interested? Request a free Day Pass and learn more.

Get connected

News Notes

Transit

South Lake Union’s streetcars are shutting down indefinitely following an unplanned outage that cut off power between the substations and overhead wires. Mechanics are working on resolving the issue, but some necessary parts come from overseas and haven’t been secured yet. (Seattle Times)

Biz

The Seattle Seahawks and Zillow Group Inc. are kicking off a multi-year partnership. Financial terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed, including the cost for Zillow’s large advertising sign on the Lumen Field’s north tower. The partnership was confirmed just ahead of the Seahawks’ season, which starts Sunday, Sept. 8. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Closed

Fried chicken takeout chain Bok a Bok closed its University District and White Center locations. The remaining locations in Capitol Hill and Kirkland will “keep slingin’ tasty chicken... for as long as [they] can,” according to co-owner Brian O’Connor. (Eater Seattle)

Development

Construction started last week on a daycare center in Greenwood. Formerly a Walgreens, the site will host a 17,000-sqft Kiddie Academy Educational Day Care with 12 classrooms and three playgrounds. Opening next spring, the facility will serve ~200 children between the ages of six months and six years old. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Tech

Bellevue-based software company Apptio saw a 43% growth in headcount since its $4.6 billion sale to IBM last August. It’s also eyeing future mergers with AI and cost management companies for potential growth. IBM’s software arm generated $6.7 billion in second-quarter revenue — up 7.1% year over year. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Health

University of Washington researchers are one of eight teams receiving an allotment from President Joe Biden’s “moonshot” initiative to fight cancer. The $150 million grant will be split up among the teams to help fund their surgical work on successfully removing cancerous tumors, with hopes to drastically reduce cancer deaths. (Seattle Times)

Real Estate

A global advertising tech leader just leased two floors in Bellevue’s Eight office tower that’s scheduled to open this quarter. The tenant has yet to be disclosed, but industry sources speculate that it is The Trade Desk. This will make the 25-story tower 80% leased, leaving five remaining floors. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Community

Woodland Park Zoo is relocating its baby gorilla in a search for a surrogate mother. The baby didn’t bond immediately with his mother Akenji, resulting in round-the-clock care from zoo staff. The longer the baby is in human care, the harder it will be to learn his species’ complex social cues. (Seattle Times)

Sports

Which Seattle Mariners player will be most important for the rest of the season? And who could get extended next? Find the answers to these pressing questions with local experts via Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.

Older Adults

So, you’re retired. Now what? Kickstart your new adventure. Here’s a way to stay sharp, active, and impactful in Seattle.*

Real Estate

📈 Young homeownership’s on the rise

Young home ownership is on the rise in King County

The number of young homeowners is increasing, but the majority share of that age group still leans toward renting. | Photo by SEAtoday staff

After decades of a downward trend, the number of young-adult homeowners is reaching a record high in King County.

The previous peak was in 1990, when the number of homeowners between the ages of 25 and 40 reached ~119,000. In 2015, that number dipped below 100,000 for the first time since the 1970s.

In our most recent census report (2022), that number not only increased again, but surpassed the previous 1990 peak. Now, ~126,000 young adults own their homes.

Approximately 92,000 of these homeowners own a single-family home, with the rest living in townhomes, row houses, or multi-unit buildings.

While the number of homeowners is setting a record, home ownership rates are still historically low. The 1980s census is the last record showing homeowners as the majority (57%) for the age group. Today, we’re looking at 38% — with the majority share leaning towards renting.

The Buy

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Madeline

From the editor

Learning more about our sister cities has me itching to travel more — and I’m a sucker for a city that has both an incredible city life and natural beauty.

Hey, it’s (part of) the reason why I love Seattle so much.

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