A group of U.S. high school students are swapping textbooks for ink brushes and pickleball paddles in Beijing, part of a China-U.S. youth exchange program aimed at promoting deeper communication and mutual understanding between young people from both countries.
The cultural and sports exchange tour program is organized by China's Ministry of Education.
It pairs students from Montgomery County Public School in the United States and their counterparts in China's Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing in sequence.
The American students had the chance to try traditional Chinese arts -- from calligraphy to traditional Chinese musical instruments.
"I think the fun part is the technical part about it. You have to be like perfect and really focus if you wanna look good," said Ryan Corkery, a student from Montgomery County Public School.
"I've never even seen this instrument before, it was very cool to learn. The music reading is different, and the tools are different," said Addison Finlay, another student.
But they could not have done it without help from their Chinese peers.
"She's very friendly and she likes to learn it. I'm very happy about this," said Ren Yidan, a student from Beijing Academy.
The exchange isn't all ink and silk strings. On the playfield outdoors, laughter echoed as students rallied over a low net -- playing pickleball, now a highly popular sport in the United States.
"It was fun, all the students are so nice. It's fun to talk to them, and get to know them and get to know their life. Because the culture is different in China compared to the U.S. so it's very fun," said Siddhant Jog, an American high school student.
A mash-up of tennis, table tennis and badminton, the sports gaining popularity has become a viral U.S. phenomenon but barely known in China.
But these Chinese students have spent a month learning the sport to welcome the visiting American students.
"We invited a coach to our school to explain the rules of pickleball, how to play the game," said Wang Jingtong, a student from Beijing Academy.
Through sports and cultural exchange, it was not just a learning experience for students from both countries but also about building friendships that transcend borders.
US students visit China on sport, culture tour
