The US city of Baltimore, famous for being the setting of the hit TV series "The Wire", became the fourth sister city of Xiamen, Fujian province, on November 7, 1985.
Founded in 1729, Baltimore is the largest city in the northeastern state of Maryland and the 18th largest in the country. It is home to a population of 650,000 and lies just 60 kilometers away from the nation's capital, Washington DC.
The Port of Baltimore is one of the major seaports in the US. Its Inner Harbor underwent a large-scale reconstruction in the 1970s, transforming it into a prosperous center for shopping, catering and recreation.
The city's main industries include aerospace, banking, finance, biomedicine, chemicals, food processing, ship building and steel making. Over 200 local federal research agencies and development centers play important roles in the city's economic development, including the National Institutes of Health and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Baltimore is home to world-renowned universities such as Johns Hopkins University, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and Maryland Institute College of Art.
The city has given rise to a number of celebrities over the years. Writers Edgar Allan Poe, Edith Hamilton, Frederick Douglass, and H.L. Mencken were born there, as was jazz musician James "Eubie" Blake, singer Billie Holiday, actor and filmmaker John Waters and baseball player Babe Ruth.
In the War of 1812, Baltimore-born Francis Scott Key wrote a song named The Star-Spangled Banner, which was later designated as the American national anthem.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
