CNN SUNDAY MORNING Interview With event Chairman

New York City Councilman John Liu Aired September 7, 2003 - 07:04 ET

 

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: About 500 volunteers are gathering at New York's Battery Park to help with the 9/11 tribute. They'll take the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty, which will be surrounded by red, white and blue. New York City Councilman John Liu is the chairman of the project.

 

COLLINS: Tell us a little bit about "Pop" Zhao, just in case people aren't familiar with some of his work.

 

LIU: "Pop" is a "Guinness Book of World Records" holder for putting together the longest art work in history, a 10,000 meter Olympic dragon that was draped on the Great Wall of China. And last year, in his September 11 tribute, he unfurled a six and a half mile long banner underneath the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. And "Pop's" personal background is interesting, as well. He came to the United States about 15 years ago and just two years ago obtained his United States citizenship. And unfortunately a couple of months afterwards, the tragedy of September 11 happened. And this is his way of repaying the United States and the world for the good things that have happened to him.

 

COLLINS: Right. It sounds very much like this has a little bit of a personal meaning to him, obviously, as well. We're looking at some video now of that project last year in San Francisco. Spectacular. So people are going to see a wonderful thing today. Tell us about your role in the ceremony.

 

LIU: Well, I was honored that "Pop" asked me to help him coordinate this, along with the National Park Service and the American Red Cross, which is actually coordinating the hundreds of volunteers that we're going to have out there shortly. It's a major undertaking and I'm so pleased to have "Pop" decided to bring it to the East Coast and to New York City.

 

COLLINS: Well, we can't wait to see it. Tell us long it will be there, how long will it stay around the Statue of Liberty and then also if people can still come.

 

LIU: Sure. We're -- we could still use some volunteers in case we have some capacity at the end. If you get to the ferry terminal in South Ferry by 7:30, you'll be able to get on the boat. The exhibit -- the event itself will begin at 9:30 and it will last for two hours. It'll take some time to unfurl this entire banner.

 

COLLINS: All right, we appreciate you being with us, New York City Councilman John Liu.
Thanks so much and we hope you have a great day out there to go ahead and get this done.

 

LIU: It's my pleasure.

 

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