Cultural exchange continues to bring young people from China and the United States closer together.
In southwest China's Yunnan Province, a group of American teenagers has begun an immersive learning journey, exploring Chinese traditional arts, local communities and everyday life.
Many of them were amazed at Jia Ma, a woodblock print technique traditionally used to express hopes for good fortune.
"It's beautiful. I really like the designs. I wish I could read the letters," said Reem Telhaoui, a high school student from the U.S.
"I like mine a lot. It's a symbol of wealth, right? I hope to be very wealthy in the new year," said Ryan Chi, another U.S. student.
A class on Chinese tea art also offered the students a taste of another long-standing tradition.
Over the next three weeks, the students will travel to Yunnan's old town of Dali and Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, where they'll learn about traditional folk houses and experience woodworking, silversmithing and other forms of intangible cultural heritage.
"I am very curious to learn more about the culture and the different fields in the culture, meet more people and see the differences and the similarities between the Chinese and United States culture,” said a U.S. student.
"When you learn about other cultures, it helps you understand them and have more empathy for everyone, especially now the world is [seeing] lots of war and other things," said Chi.
"As a local here, I want to introduce the cities to him, the beautiful scenes, the beautiful people and the beautiful cultures," said Dai Boran, a Chinese student.
The American students' program is organized by U.S. educator John Flower, a long-time Chinese history scholar.
In 2017, Flower helped preserve a traditional folk house from Yunnan and rebuilt it in West Virginia, turning it into a space for learning about China. He has been bringing U.S. teenagers to Yunnan for years.
"I think the young people of today are the foundation of US-China relations tomorrow, so the more that they have mutual understanding now, the more they can bring that with them when they're in charge of our countries. So I think we have to build that foundation. It's like a house, right? You have to have a strong foundation, and then you can join together all the pieces that will keep things stable," said John Flower, founder of the China Folk House Project.
In November 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed inviting 50,000 American young people to China for exchange and study over the next five years. Since then, a growing number of US students have visited China.
More exchanges like these are expected in the year ahead, helping build greater understanding and lasting friendship between the two countries.
US students experience China immersion journey in Yunnan
