A cross-cultural youth exchange brought together 31 American students from Utah and 31 Chinese peers across Shaanxi Province this July for the 2026 Gung Ho Summer Camp, bridging cultural divides through shared travel, living quarters, and joint assignments.
Jointly hosted by the Shaanxi Provincial People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Xi'an International Studies University, and the U.S.-based Helen Foster Snow Foundation, the initiative took participants through historic and cultural sites in Xi'an, Baoji, and Yan'an. Designed to deepen mutual understanding, the itinerary required American and Chinese students to live, dine, and collaborate on shared coursework throughout the multi-city journey.
Living and eating together was not enough to break the ice at first, with students sticking close to peers from their own country. Everything changed when organizers set a mandatory bus rule requiring American and Chinese students to pair up. The awkwardness quickly faded, opening the door to real cross-cultural bonds across the trip.
"We noticed that the American students would always sit next to American students and the Chinese students would always sit next to Chinese students. And [during] one of the trips we just said you are not allowed to sit by the same nationality. So Chinese must sit with American and American must sit with Chinese. And at the beginning they were very nervous," said Devon Holderness, an American student participating in the summer camp.
A seemingly rigid rule broke the silence on the bus, and the friendship between the Chinese and American students began to take root. From Xi'an to Baoji and then to Yan'an, these young people gradually became partners. For these American students, a real chapter of Chinese history was presented before their eyes in a concrete and striking way for the first time.
"Hearing the history made me understand a lot more about why modern China is the way modern China is and why they've developed like this. And I think it was very, very eye-opening. I loved learning about it," said Devon.
These visits gave the American students a deeper understanding of China, while many small moments during the trip made their impressions of China more real and vivid.
"We took a taxi. We can also speak Chinese. I felt that he (the driver) was especially happy. He asked us to play some English music and sang along with us. Then he played Chinese music and we sang along with him. My feeling was that Chinese people and Americans are not that different," said Kaden, an American student participating in the summer camp.
Now, these American students from Utah have returned home, but their connection with their Chinese friends has not been broken. To keep this cross-cultural exchange going, the foundation that organized the event has also set up an online interactive platform for future connection.
"He asks me how long it's going to be until we go back for next year's camp. He asked me like, how far away is that? Because he had such a good time," said Brayden, father of American student Graham.
"I think it definitely became more like in the back of my mind that that's a place that I could like go to for fun and go visit my friend's from the last trip," said another U.S. student participating in the summer camp.
When young people from China and the United States sit face to face, distance and prejudice melt away in the laughter of sincerity. The summer camp has now drawn to a close, a new story about understanding, resonance, and the hope of reunion has only just turned its first page.
Chinese, American students build lasting ties at Shaanxi summer camp
