American students explore Chinese culture on exchange tour

Brody Tate Clarke from Iowa City High School takes a table tennis class 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 while his week-long stay in China was short, it will lead to a long-term bond with this country.

"I think everything comes down to one-on-one exchanges, especially with the youth," said the 11th-grader from Iowa City High School. "It's really good that we as students come here because we're going to grow up with our impressions and that's only going to grow in our hearts."

He was one of over 50 students who visited Beijing, Shanghai and north China's Hebei Province from June 5 to 12 in a China-U.S. youth exchange program, which aims to bridge the gap between young people from both countries through shared experiences and cultural immersion.

Before he arrived, Clarke only learned about China in class. "I knew it's a big country with a lot of big cities," he said. But he never imagined being able to visit the country himself.

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

A major surprise Clarke experienced was on the third evening of his China tour, when a symphony music and painting show named "China Impression," featuring some of Suo's schoolmates, fascinated the guests. It showcased Chinese culture, and resulted in Clarke asking Suo many questions.

"Are there four seasons? Or 24?" a confused Clarke asked. His Chinese buddy explained the origins of the 24 solar terms to Clarke, with the American listening closely to the explanation.

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

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

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

His schoolmate, Norah Claire Kauper, was also impressed with Chinese food. "Chinese food in the United States is very different from the food here. I think it is much better here," she said, while noting that visiting China is the best way to understand the country.

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

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

"I'd never been to China before, but it's been a really amazing experience being here. The people here are so amazing and it's very different from home, but it still feels like a home," said Kauper.

"A lot of the students here have been so sweet. They're the nicest people and they've been so welcoming," she added. "They're similar to people in the U.S. They're just teenagers like us."

Hebei Province and the U.S. state of Iowa signed their sister-state relationship agreement back in 1983. The Iowa City High School delegation formed part of a program initiated by China last year to invite 50,000 American youths to China within five years for exchange and study.

American teacher Tamara Tan noted that for many of the students, this was their first trip to China, and Tan said it will help them to delve into Chinese culture.

"If we know each other at a personal level, then we know each other at every other level," Clarke said. "Countries need to bond with each other and create ... political relationships eventually. All starts with the personal one-on-one connections, which we fostered on this trip and which I'm very grateful for."

At the end of the tour, students from both countries planted friendship trees together. Clarke hugged his Chinese buddy Suo, and gave him a painted cloth featuring an eagle, which is the symbol of Iowa, as well as local attractions, as a gift. In return, he received a panda plush toy. "Keep in touch," Clarke said. 

American students take a Chinese class at Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, June 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yifang)

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

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