Move over, Napa Valley—Sonoma’s cultural ambassadors are blending wine diplomacy with anime fandom in Hangzhou! 🌍🎬 As the 2025 China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference heats up, Peggy Bridget Rubens, chair of the Sonoma-Penglai Sister City Committee, and her husband are swapping vineyard tours for a deep dive into China’s vibrant animation scene at the China Cartoon and Animation Museum. “It’s like Studio Ghibli meets Silicon Valley creativity!” she gushed.
But this isn’t just about binge-watching anime. Rubens is fermenting bold ideas to fuse California’s wine expertise with Shandong’s Penglai region, while adding a splash of pop culture to cross-Pacific ties. Think joint animation workshops, vineyard exchange programs, and maybe even a ‘Spirited Away’-themed wine label? 🍇✨
With U.S.-China collaboration popping like a champagne cork, this partnership proves that friendship—and innovation—taste better with age. 🥂
