In 1985 Jimmy Lin, a first-generation Taiwanese resident, was the first Asian American elected to the Leawood City Council. After serving for many terms, Jimmy saw the benefit of creating a sister city relationship between Leawood and I-Lan, Taiwan, and in 1988 Mayor Marcia Rinehart formally established the relationship. Later that year during Taiwan’s National Day celebrations, a delegation from Leawood traveled to I-Lan for the Sister City signing ceremony. Two plaques were presented to the City of Leawood to celebrate the official Friendship. These plaques hang in the City’s offices for the public to enjoy. In 1992 the City created the Leawood I-Lan Sister City Committee to expand awareness of the relationship, assist in delegation management, and sponsor the annual Leawood Lunar New Year event.
Since the first trip, over 15 delegations have been made between Leawood and I-Lan to nurture the Sister City relationship and celebrate key milestones: anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China (1993), dedication of I-Lan Park (2003), dedication of Leawood Bridge (2004), and several scholastic visits from I-Lan students to establish cultural exchange programs with the Blue Valley School District. The cultural exchange program occurred each year until 2020 when the global COVID 19 pandemic and shutdown canceled delegation visits for both cities.
The City of Leawood began celebrating Lunar New Year in 1992 with a dinner featuring Chinese cuisine and traditional entertainment. The first dinner was held at Golden Palace Restaurant in Watts Mills to usher in the Year of the Rooster. Other dinners were held at local venues like Fortune Star Restaurant in Rosanna Square, Blue Fin Restaurant in Parkway Plaza, and Blue Koi in Mission Farms. The Leawood Lunar New Year event became so popular that in 2018 the event was moved to Vista 154 at Ironhorse Golf Club to accommodate a large attendance, and it has been celebrated at Vista 154 each year except in 2021 when the event was canceled due to COVID 19 restrictions.
The Year of The Snake was celebrated on January 31, at the Ironhorse Golf Club.