Yale University choir gives performance, bridges cultural divide in north China's Tianjin

The Whiffenpoofs a cappella choir of Yale University took the stage in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Monday, joining Nankai University's choir for a memorable concert.

Alongside classics such as "Nature Boy" and "Moondance," the 14-member Whiffenpoofs also sang three well-known Chinese folk and pop songs to better connect with the local audience.

Bridging language and culture through music, the two university choirs closed the show with a moving rendition of the Chinese classic "Let the World Be Filled with Love."

"It's been really cool. I mean, we did so much research going into the trip. I actually took a Chinese class in middle school. So, I learned a bit Chinese in 7th grade. So, I feel like I've been wanting to actually see what it's like here for a long time. And it's cool that our tour started in the U.S. because we were able to see just immediately how different the culture is," said Lukas, a member of the Whiffenpoofs.

"We are really trying to deliver that kind of energy, and you get from singing together with people that you really enjoy their company. We picked these three songs, very traditional folk song Jasmine flower. We really picked those songs to build a connection there and make sure that we can all have this experience all together," said Eunice, another member.

The performance was part of a cultural exchange tour organized by the Beijing Enlai Foundation. Running from March 19 to April 3, the tour brings the Whiffenpoofs to universities and choirs across Chongqing and Chengdu Cities and the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China, and Tianjin and Beijing in north China, using songs as a bridge to foster people-to-people ties between China and the U.S.

The Whiffenpoofs is the world's most renowned and historic collegiate a cappella group, spearheading and innovating a cappella music since 1909. The group has performed across the U.S. and around the world, captivating audiences with a diverse repertoire of a cappella music.

Yale University choir gives performance, bridges cultural divide in north China's Tianjin

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aims to deepen its cooperation with China across all fields, thereby reinforcing its partnership with the Global South as a whole, said UNESCO director-general Khaled El-Enany.

El-Enany visited China's Hangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai from May 11 to 14, his fourth time in the country and first time as UNESCO director-general. Speaking with CCTV in Beijing during the visit, he highlighted the significance of cooperation with China, noting that the partnership goes beyond the bilateral scope.

"I'm here to deepen the partnership, the very strong and well-established partnership with China, one of the big partners to UNESCO. And when you deal with China, I think it's beyond a bilateral relationship. We are dealing with the global South. We are working with China in all the fields of competence of UNESCO - in education, science, culture, communication, information. Since I arrived at UNESCO in November 2025, I'm building a very strong partnership with your permanent delegation at UNESCO, a very active one," El-Enany said in an interview that aired on Friday.

In Hangzhou, the UNESCO chief attended the opening and the plenary session of the 2026 World Digital Education Conference. He described the meeting as fruitful in terms of consensus-building.

"We [all agreed] that digital transformation and using AI [in education] is a must, but it must complement what human beings are doing. It must be ethical, equitable and inclusive," he said.

El-Enany highlighted his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 12.

"He reiterated his strong commitment to intercultural dialogue, to mutual learning among the civilizations. And this resonated [with] what he had said at UNESCO in his historic visit in 2014 to UNESCO in March, which is very aligned with the mandate of UNESCO - to build peace in the minds of women and men and to defend peace through education, science and culture," said the director-general.

UNESCO chief pledges stronger cooperation with China across all fields