As Nebraska’s chief protocol officer for international relations, Secretary Gale was part of a Nebraska delegation that visited China. The two-week trip was organized by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Confucius Institute. While in China, the delegation visited Beijing and Xi’an. Secretary Gale and his wife, Carol, are pictured visiting the Forbidden City, the former Chinese imperial palace, in Beijing.

While visiting the Office of Chinese Language Council International, Secretary of State John Gale is greeted by Xu Lin, the organization’s director-general, and an electronic message of welcome. The organization funds some 300 Confucius Institutes throughout the world.

Secretary Gale and his wife, Carol, tour Beijing in a rickshaw.