I am not sure where you are now, but i just saw this post:

if you are in Qingdao, you should sit down with my friend Li Du who knows the city very well, has a great French restaurant there and can put you into contact with businesspeople and artists there. He runs a gallery and just last week i attended a "Twin Cities" art show between Qingdao and Chengdu, where i live, that Li Du organized with some of the biggest names in China. here is Li Du's telephone number: 13906421536

In Shanghai, there are too many people to count, but I actually advise AGAINST getting involved in Shanghai too much. In my personal opinion, cities like Hangzhou (outside of Portland) Beijing, Qingdao and definitely Chengdu and Kunming are good matches for Portland.

Shanghai is a glitzy city with the ... shall we say exact opposite demographics that I have seen in Portland. But of course you have to go there and check it out. Two friends that I would introduce to you would be Jarrett Wrisley and Michael Ferchak, young guys from the NE who know the city very well. Michael is a businessman, Jarret is a longtime local writer ....

Jarret's number is 13162565701
Michael's is: 13671993664

These guys are not political figures or even particularly rich, but they all can give you a good perspective on the city and US-China cooperation in general. And they are the guys on the scene -- as in they will know alot about these two cities and can give you a frank idea.

cheers,
sascha