The 20th Edgar Snow Symposium brought together scholars, students and international guests from China and the United States this week in Zhengzhou City, central China's Henan Province, to honor the legacy of the American journalist whose writings introduced China to the world and continue to inspire people-to-people friendship across generations.
The annual event honors the legacy of American journalist Edgar Snow, whose groundbreaking book "Red Star Over China" offered the world a rare, firsthand account of China at a time when the country was largely misunderstood by the West.
In 1936, at a time when China was embroiled in internal conflict and external aggression, Snow made his way to the remote headquarters of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Yan'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. As the first Western journalist to enter the area, he conducted extensive interviews and careful documentation there.
Snow's reporting culminated in "Red Star Over China," in which he painted a picture of a resilient, promising country that the world rarely saw, and challenged the world's misunderstandings and prejudices about China.
"Through this symposium, we can better understand Snow's spirit and his ideas. What he wanted to convey was transcending barriers, bridging cultures and connecting hearts across nations," said Zhang Qianhong, former vice president of Zhengzhou University.
With notebook in hand and moral clarity in his heart, Snow constructed an unprecedented bridge of mutual respect and understanding between China and the rest of the world that still stands today.
This year marks both the 80th anniversary of the World Anti-Fascist War victory and the 120th anniversary of Snow's birth. Today, the spirit Snow embodied continues to serve as a meaningful link between cultures -- a lasting force for mutual respect in an increasingly complex world.
Eric Foster, Snow's nephew, recalled how his uncle and aunt, Helen Foster Snow, devoted their lives to telling China's story truthfully to the world.
"Both Edgar and Helen devoted their life in their writings for China. They had a very deep love, and just the truthfulness in their journalistic writings, just telling the truth like it is and being honest without colored glasses. And just saying the truth, this is the best thing that we could have for future journalists," said Foster.
The symposium also featured a photo exhibition retracing Snow's journeys through China, from Beijing to the caves of Yan'an, where his book was born.
For many participants, the exhibition was a reminder that Snow was not only a journalist, but a bridge-builder, a man who turned observation into understanding, and understanding into friendship.
"As everyone in China knows, Edgar Snow [was] deeply connected with the Chinese people and also brought that information back to the U.S. And so, that is our role, that is our mission -- it is to continue to do that," said Sidne Gail Ward, president of the U.S. Edgar Snow Memorial Foundation.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Snow paid three visits to the country. He remained concerned about China following his visits, and firmly supported the just cause of the Chinese people, establishing himself as a lifelong friend of the Chinese people.
The spirit of Snow's extraordinary bond with China still lingers in Yan'an's sun-baked hills. Today, a new generation of global visitors retraces his path -- seeing China not through the lens of preconception, but through the clear-eyed wonder of firsthand discovery.
In an age when the world faces new challenges and uncertainties, the values Snow stood for -- truth, respect, and friendship -- feel more relevant than ever. His spirit of truth-seeking journalism still resonates deeply, reminding people that honest understanding, not ideology, is the cornerstone of friendship between nations.
Through its 20-year journey, the symposium has shown that dialogue is not merely an exchange of ideas, but a shared effort to keep humanity connected.
20th Edgar Snow Symposium honors legacy of American journalist
