The 2025 China-U.S. University Fencing Invitational and Cultural Exchange was held at Tsinghua University in Beijing on Monday, offering talented U.S. university athletes the chance to experience life in China.
The event featured athletes from the fencing teams of 11 prestigious US universities, including Harvard and Yale, and four Chinese universities such as Tsinghua and Peking Universities.
A mixed-team format made for a particularly exciting competition. Athletes were randomly grouped into 10 teams with six members, regardless of their nationality or university affiliation.
"Now half of my team is Chinese and half of them are American, so it's like a very mixed team. I love how diverse it is. We don't really get to do this during the season, so I'm so happy that I get to do this now. Yeah, it's super fun," said Emese Domonkos, a fencer for Princeton University.
"Seeing it for myself, interacting with people, that's definitely the biggest gain, just kind of being here. It's my first time and everyone's super friendly and welcoming, and it's definitely been an amazing experience. I've learned so much about Chinese culture," said Skyler Liverant, a Columbia University fencer.
Geng Xikai, a Tsinghua University student who won the men's foil championship in the individual competition, tried to switch from foil to epee in the team competition. His American teammates took the initiative to help him familiarize himself with the rules and competition techniques.
"Sports can transcend borders and serve as a bridge between Chinese and American cultures. Cultural difference is also a celebration of diversity, as everyone here has a shared passion for the sport," Geng said.
American team members agreed that friendships forged and culture learned during the event were even more valuable than victory on the piste.
"It makes me feel at home in a place that I'm not used to being. And it makes me feel like all humans are very much connected in the same. That's a more real sense of reality, more than what we see on the news," said Elden Wood, a fencer for the University of North Carolina.
"Once you come to China and you get to experience the culture in real life, you realize 'Wow, it's really great here.' We're really not that different," said Alexander Massialas, head coach of Stanford University's fencing team.
Yu Changxue, director of the Ministry of Education's China Center for International People-to-People Exchange, emphasized that the younger generations play a crucial role in building up a better relationship between China and the United States.
"The future of U.S.-China relations rests with the younger generations. Going forward, we will expand sports-exchange programs and create new platforms that empower young Americans and Chinese to become emissaries of friendship. Through the universal language of sport, the younger generations are expected to build a more peaceful, cooperative, and better world together," he said.
Beyond the competition, participants also explored the Great Wall and savored Chinese cuisine, gaining a deeper appreciation for the country's rich history and culture.
The event was co-organized by the Ministry of Education's China Center for International People-to-People Exchange and Tsinghua University.
China-US invitational brings university fencers together for cultural exchange
