Members of a U.S. football team which toured across China back in August have reflected on what they describe as an eye-opening trip, during which they played friendly matches against local teams, experienced the wonders of traditional Chinese culture, and were wowed by the country's advanced robots and dazzling goods.
The team's visit came as part of a major initiative to invite 50,000 American youths to China over a five-year-period for exchanges and study, a program which was first announced by President Xi Jinping during his visit to the United States back in November 2023.
The footballers were from Journey FC, a club established in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with most of the squad being comprised of university students. They were warmly welcomed in south China's tropical island province of Hainan, where they competed in a friendly match with a local team on Aug 6.
Before journeying to China, many players said they had never even left Harrisburg, where many of the team grew up, let alone travel to such an exotic location.
"Hearing the chants and the drums, it like lit a fire in me. And that's when I realized, like, wow, we're really here playing in a different country," said Mark Haye, one of the team members.
Though Journey F.C. were beaten in their opening match in Hainan's Qiongzhong Li and Miao Autonomous County, the overall occasion delighted the visiting team, with spectators from the local Li ethnic group singing folk songs in the stadium to show their respect.
"Even though we had lost the game, I really didn't even care just because of the atmosphere. It was just so welcoming and it was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience and just like clapping and cheering for the audience because they were cheering for us. It was just a very respectful moment," said Haye.
"It felt like a dream come true. Everybody was cheering for us and then I got to swap jerseys with the other No.3. That was really cool," said Victor Lopez, another of the footballers.
Away from the pitch, the young players also soaked up a wealth of different experiences, as they took in the local tea culture at a tea farm and put their quick footwork to the test as they tried traditional bamboo pole dancing in Hainan, before later visiting a top Chinese tech company where they interacted with cutting-edge robots.
The group also headed to Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province, a city which has become known as the "world's supermarket" for its massive small commodities market. Here, the young Americans were amazed by the dazzling array of goods on offer, as they snapped up numerous souvenirs to take home.
"I bought a lot of things for my family, like a lot of knick-knacks. I definitely bought like fridge magnets and I also bought my girlfriend a really nice traditional dress," said Haye.
"We don't have any market where you have thousands of stores, thousands of people even. So that was a really big culture shock seeing all these stores all together working and being organized as one," said Patryk Nitecki, the team's captain.
The club's head coach Cole Goodman hailed how the China trip had not only been a unique bonding activity for the team but also enabled the young people from Pennsylvania to experience the full of vitality of China.
"Within a team, what has stayed is our brotherhood, our friendship and our want to keep learning about other cultures. Even though we were only there for about 12 or 13 days, the players and the team, they want more. They want to see more of China and the culture and learn more as well," said Goodman.
Others say they even feel inspired to return to the country if given the chance.
"If it wasn't with Journey FC, I would go out of my way to go to China. That place was amazing. I would love to go back," said Darwin Lopez, another team member.
Young US footballers reflect on eye-opening experiences during recent China tour
