Located in Missouri and founded in 1853, Kansas City is a very important city in the Midwest and is known as the “Heart of America” for being in the geographic center of America. The city has an estimated population of 459,787 and encompasses 826 sq km. Missouri River - the second largest in America, flows through the city.

The convenient transportation has made the city of Kansas an international trade and distribution center serving the wide North American Market——Canada, America and Mexico. Being an important inland port, the city now has established the largest international free trade zone in America.

As one of the agricultural centers in America, Kansas is a world famous wheat belt, with quantities of wheat being gathered and distributed, traded and processed here. The Kansas Grain Exchange center is the only place for red winter wheat trade, which may influence the price of world market, and the flour processing industry is the second largest in America. Besides, with the largest stockyards, the industries of livestock slaughtering and meat processing are also carried out on a very large scale. The great natural cooling plant (underground limestone cavity) is also well-known in America.

Kansas hosts many fountains, only second to Rome in number, thus nicknamed the “City of Fountains”, and there are more boulevards than any other city except Paris. Swope Park is known as the second largest sports park in America, comprising 1769 hectares.

Kansas is most famous for steak, barbecue and Jazz music, being lauded as a "world capital of barbecue. After WWI, the city became the birthplace of Jazz music, and the "Kansas City Blues and Jazz Festival" attracts top jazz stars each year.

Kansas has a developed higher education system, home to 21 universities and institutes, also hosting a Chinese Studies (Confucius) Center (the second in America).Founded in 1839, University of Missouri is the oldest American university west of Mississippi. There are also many museums and art galleries, with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art being one of the largest in America for its grand scale and rich collection.

Kansas is the hometown of Snow, the world-famous journalist, whose former residence is a two-story brick house. In 1936, Snow arrived at Yan’an with the help of progressives. During his 5-month stay, he met and interviewed the main party leaders Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De. In 1938, he left for Beijing and published his famous book “Red Star Over China”. Snow Foundation is established by a group of friendly Kansas people to honor the works Snow has done in furthering the friendship and understanding of China. University or Missouri - Kansas City is an active sponsor of the foundation.

The current mayor of the city is Sly James.

Kansas city has established friendship with Xi’an on April 29, 1989. The other sister cities include Tainan of China,  Katmandu of Nepal, Metz of France, Ramla of Israel, San Nicolás de los Garza, Guadalajara, and Morelia of Mexico, Arusha of Tanzania, Port Harcourt of Nigeria, Hannover of Germany, Freetown of Sierra Leone, Kurashiki of Japan and Seville of Spain.