In June, the Atlas Cement Memorial Museum welcomed four visitors from China.

The visit was organized by Mr. Keda Wang. Wang graduated from Peking University in Beijing, China. He is currently working on graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania in the field of architectural history.

Wang was accompanied by three friends, Ms. Guo Yue, Mr. Wang Hanyang and Mr. Cai Ce. Hanyang attended Waterloo University in Ontario, Canada. Yue and Ce studied in England and Illinois, respectively. Yue has a degree in marketing, and Ce and Hanyang are media writers and podcasters.

The group is visiting historical industrial sites in the United States. They will be stopping in Pittsburgh, Akron, Cleveland, Detroit and other small industrial towns.

Wang wanted to visit the Atlas Cement Company Memorial Museum because cement is a major component in building construction.

“[The museum] deepened my understanding of the history of the state of Pennsylvania, its construction history and built heritage and was a good starting point for my upcoming field research and travel,” Wang said. “Some of our history is forgotten and some lessons are never learned, but looking back is the only way to move forward.”

Wang also expressed a desire to visit the beautiful Lehigh Valley in the future. When Ce left the Atlas museum, he said the cement company is a family.

The group asked numerous questions about the origins and history of cement. They were also interested in the Atlas Portland Cement Company and the cement industry in the Lehigh Valley. Wang said the group would keep us updated on any articles or podcasts in the Chinese media relating the museum or the Portland Cement industry.

Wang, Yue, Hanyang and Ce came to the museum as visitors and left as friends.