American students discover Chinese culture during an exchange trip

Brody Tate Clarke of Iowa City High School takes table tennis lessons at Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, June 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yifang)

SHIJIAZHUANG, June 15 (Xinhua) — American student Brody Tate Clarke believes that although his one-week stay in China was short, it will lead to a long-lasting bond with this country.

“I think it all comes down to one-on-one exchanges, especially with the youth,” the Iowa City High School 11th-grader said. “It is very good that we as students come here, because we are going to grow up with our impressions and that will only grow in our hearts.”

He was one of more than 50 students who visited Beijing, Shanghai and Hebei Province in northern China from June 5 to 12 as part of a China-US youth exchange program aimed at bridging the gap between young people from both countries. bridging countries through shared experiences and cultural immersion.

Before he arrived, Clarke only learned about China in class. “I knew it was a big country with a lot of big cities,” he said. But he never thought he would be able to visit the country himself.

In Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei, the American students were paired with Chinese teenagers. Clarke's partner was 18-year-old Suo Shengkai from Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School.

A big surprise Clarke experienced was on the third night of his China tour, when a symphony music and painting show called “China Impression”, featuring some of Suo's classmates, captivated the guests. It showed Chinese culture and made Clarke Suo ask a lot of questions.

“Are there four seasons? Or 24?” asked a confused Clarke. His Chinese friend explained the origins of the 24 solar terms to Clarke, while the American listened attentively to the explanation.

During a table tennis lesson, Clarke, who has a table tennis table in his garage in the United States, practiced with Chinese students to improve his skills, while during a carpentry class he marveled at a wooden bridge model with a traditional mortise hole. and-tenon structure, without a single nail.

To celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, Clarke and his friends took part in a dragon boat race. They wore aprons as they learned how to make sticky rice dumplings, also known as zendzi, a traditional delicacy that Chinese people eat as part of their meal. Dragon Boat Festival celebrations.

Chinese food made a very positive impression on Clarke during his visit. He not only tried frying cucumber and shrimp, but also made dumplings with the help of his Chinese friends.

His classmate, Norah Claire Kauper, was also impressed by Chinese food. “Chinese food in the United States is very different from the food here. I think it's much better here,” she said, noting that visiting China is the best way to understand the country.

Nasra Hassan Farah, taught by a Chinese teacher, practiced calligraphy and made great progress, while 15-year-old Kai Lane Zeng-Smith took about an hour to complete his paper carving, which featured a dragon boat.

Zeng-Smith is half Chinese and his mother is originally from Beijing. He told Xinhua that although his mother taught him about Chinese culture, he had never been as immersed in it as he was on this trip.

“I had never been to China before, but it was a really great experience to be here. The people here are so wonderful and it's very different from home, but it still feels like home,” Kauper said.

“A lot of the students here have been so sweet. They are the nicest people and they have been so welcoming,” she added. “They look like people in the US. They're just teenagers like us.”

Hebei Province and the US state of Iowa signed their Sister State Relationship Agreement back in 1983. The Iowa City High School delegation was part of a program initiated by China last year to invite 50,000 American youth to China for exchange and training within five years study.

American teacher Tamara Tan noted that for many students this was their first trip to China, and Tan said it will help them immerse themselves in Chinese culture.

“If we know each other on a personal level, we know each other on every other level,” Clarke said. “Countries need to connect with each other and ultimately… create political relationships. It all starts with the personal one-on-one connections, which we have fostered throughout this journey and for which I am very grateful.”

At the end of the tour, students from both countries planted friendship trees together. Clarke hugged his Chinese friend Suo and gave him a gift of a painted canvas depicting an eagle, the symbol of Iowa and local landmarks. In return, he received a panda plush toy. “Keep in touch,” Clarke said.

American students attend Chinese classes at Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School in Shijiazhuang, northern China's Hebei province, June 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yifang)

Brody Tate Clarke (4th from left) of Iowa City High School learns to make zendzi at Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School in Shijiazhuang, northern China's Hebei Province, June 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yifang)

Chinese calligraphy teacher Fan Le (2nd from left) demonstrates for Nasra Hassan Farah (3rd from left) of Valley High School during her calligraphy practice at Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School in Shijiazhuang, northern China's Hebei Province, June 8, 2024. ( Xinhua/Du Yifang)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)