Josh Adams, a citizen of San Francisco in the United States, still remembers the warm scene of visiting his great-grandmother as a child. At four o'clock every afternoon, my great-grandmother would always make a pot of fragrant jasmine tea. She said that it had a taste similar to the jasmine tea on Guling, Fuzhou, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Adams's great-grandparents came to China in 1907 and taught agriculture at a school in Fuzhou. His great-grandfather, Arthur Billin (Chinese name: Bolingway), went from teacher to principal, and also funded several Chinese students to study in the United States. His great-grandmother devoted herself to teaching young women, believing that they should also have access to education.

The beautiful Guling is located in the eastern suburbs of Fuzhou and is a beautiful summer resort. Since the 19th century, a group of foreigners living in Fuzhou have come here to build summer villas. Foreigners and local residents have lived harmoniously and blended each other's culture and emotions, making Guling an "international community" that integrates China and the West. More than a century later, stories of friendship are told. In 1912, Bolingwei and his wife also built a single-story wood-stone villa in Guling.

The taste of jasmine tea as a child was unforgettable for Adams. In 2017, he climbed Guling for the first time and tasted jasmine tea. "This is exactly the taste I remember. It's like I'm back to drinking tea with my great-grandmother."

Before returning to China in 1948, Adams's great-grandparents sold the villa to a local family surnamed Guo. This century-old building is in good condition, surrounded by bamboo forests and cedars, and light purple hydrangea flowers are clustered in front of the corridor. The Guo family named it "Bamboo Forest Villa" and transformed it into a restaurant.

"I would like to say that the scenery is more beautiful now than what I saw from old photos of my family, when the surroundings of the villa were transformed into terraces. When we got there, we saw lush trees." Adams said that when he came to Guling for the second time a few days ago, the Guo family invited him to taste a family banquet. He and the fourth-generation member of the Guo family, an entrepreneur who had just graduated from college, exchanged contact information. The friendship between the two families is still continuing and passing down.

From June 24 to 28, the 2024 "Gulingyuan" China-US Youth Exchange Week was held in Fuzhou by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the People's Government of Fujian Province, and the All-China Youth Federation.

This exchange week invites more than 200 young people from 29 states (special districts, overseas territories) in the United States and more than 300 Chinese young people to jointly plant friendship trees, dialogue discussions, intangible cultural heritage performances, cultural performances, sports friendly matches, etc. A variety of exchange activities will inherit the friendship between Guling and deepen friendship.

As a member of the "Friends of Guling", Adams also participated in exchange week activities to relive the story of Guling and witness how Guling's love has been passed down and developed in the new generation.

"They welcomed me with smiles and open arms"

The friendship between countries lies in the friendship between people. During this exchange, whether they are American college students who still know almost nothing about China, American artists who have lived in China for many years, or American scholars who have returned to China, they all have deep feelings.

"Although it may not be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come to China to participate in this cross-cultural exchange, it is definitely a very unique opportunity." said Anna O'Connor, a student at the University of Iowa.

O'Connor said that this is her second time abroad. She majored in international studies. Although she learned some knowledge about China through this major, a trip to China was a brand new experience for her.

"I think the most important thing is to go beyond what we have and experience other people's daily lives, rather than trying to impose our cultural concepts on others. One-on-one communication is very important, and once you establish a deeper emotional connection, you can truly understand who they are."

The family of American artist Augustine Droz has lived in Beijing for nine years. Now, she teaches at the International Department of Tsinghua High School and participated in an art exhibition jointly organized by Chinese and American youth during this exchange week.

"My art work is called Discoveries. I told my journey as a foreigner in the form of fairy tale fantasy."

Talking about her experiences in China, Droz said that a series of small experiences intertwined into her perspective on everything.

"These little clips include singing a happy birthday song to my Chinese neighbor's grandmother to celebrate her 99th birthday, trying and failing to make a perfect dumpling, or participating in outdoor street exercise with a group of strangers. They welcomed me with smiles and open arms. As a foreigner, every day is a new opportunity to learn, and every dialogue is a process of building cultural bridges. I no longer feel like an outsider. I feel safe, accepted and cared for." Droz told reporters.

"I think this event promoted positive exchanges. I am very happy to be involved. I feel that each of us plays an important role." she said.

"Fuzhou is very lively and people are very enthusiastic. Thank you very much for giving us such a warm welcome." Claire Ashmeed, a medical doctoral student at the University of Michigan, has come to China for the second time. What's different is that she now speaks fluent Chinese.

In the fall of 2012, Ashmeed, who studied at Princeton University, participated in the school's overseas exchange program, went to Kunming, worked and learned Chinese, and lived in a Chinese family for a year.

"It was a good time in my life. I always wanted to come back, but honestly I didn't have a chance. I feel very lucky to be here now. I will go to Guangzhou next and stay for a few months to do research in a hospital. I hope I will have more opportunities in the future."

Speaking of the "Gulingyuan" China-US Youth Exchange Week, Ashmeed said,"I think this shows that China is very interested in extending a hand of friendship to the United States."

"Guling's story is the story of the family and the story of the people. When we talk about things like the United States or China, everything loses meaning without the people who make up those countries." Ashmeed said that a family came to China and established a strong friendship. This relationship bloomed like a flower and the friendship became more extensive.

"I think it's a good model for both of our countries to move forward. We should share our culture with each other at the human and family levels. This is how we can build a better future together."

"The opportunities here are unlimited"

In Guling, many American residents have woven and realized their dreams. The father-in-law of Erin McGinnis (Chinese name: Mu Yanling), the initiator of "Friends of Guling", was a lieutenant of the Flying Tigers. She supported China's War of Resistance in the war-torn era and later taught in Fujian; Milton Gardner, a professor of physics at the University of California, was dying, muttering about Guling. Revisiting that unforgettable childhood in the field was a wish he had hoped to realize throughout his life; Edward Bliss (Chinese name: Fu Yihua), a doctor who graduated from Yale University and has lived in China for 40 years, pursued May Potts, also from the United States, and founded a family here, leaving a romantic story...

Today, there are still many Americans pursuing and realizing their dreams in China.

More than half a century ago, Roberta Lipson, a little American girl, once squatted on the beach to dig sand with a small shovel and plastic bucket, and the hole was dug deeper and deeper. She believed that if she continued digging, she could lead to the other side of the world, which her father told her was China.

In 1979, China and the United States formally established diplomatic relations. At this time, she had already studied Chinese and Chinese history in college. With a nice Chinese name "Li Bijing", she came to China for the first time and decided to stay and develop. In 1997, Li Bijing and her partners established China's first foreign-funded private hospital, United Family Hospital, in Beijing. Today, it has become one of the leaders in high-end medical services in China. My childhood dream has become a reality.

"I feel lucky to be able to identify needs that I can participate in and promote at the right time and in the right place." Li Bijing said that this is indeed a story of a dream coming true. She realized this dream 45 years ago.

"I think the opportunities here are unlimited. China is still developing rapidly, and every new stage of development brings new opportunities. There are still many opportunities for young people around the world to come here together and create beautiful things." She told reporters.

"I have a song that I love very much, and I really want to sing it for you from the bottom of my heart." During the special artistic performance for Chinese and American youth held on the evening of the 27th, amid bursts of applause, opera singer Kara Dilickoff Canales, senior adviser and special envoy for cultural exchanges of the President of the United States Council on the Arts and Humanities, sang "I Love You China" in Chinese and Chinese singers.

During a trip to China many years ago, a friend from Beijing introduced this song to her. "The lyrics are very touching. When I read its translation, I felt that this was exactly my feelings for China. Therefore, I am very eager to learn this song." Canales said.

She recalled her nervousness when she first sang the song at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, worried about whether Chinese audiences would accept her, how they would view an American singing the song, and what to do if her Chinese pronunciation was not accurate enough or her voice was not strong enough.

However, she found that as long as she sang it sincerely, she could be widely recognized.

Since 2011, Canales has visited China many times, and now she has traveled to nearly 20 cities in China.

Talking about the beginning of her fate with China, she said: "This is a long story. Simply put, I have been in touch with this place from the very beginning."

Canales introduced that she made friends one after another in China, and over time, the seeds of these friendships gradually blossomed. "Now I really feel like I've gone through ten years of growth with these friends."

In 2010, Jack Pinnick, a college student born in the 1990s in the United States, left his hometown of Illinois and went to Wudang Mountains in China alone to learn martial arts from his apprentice. There, he met his future Chinese wife and became the oldest "foreign disciple" of Wudang Mountain in the past years. Today, Pingnik, dressed in Taoist clothes and carrying a Dong Xiao, is the 16th generation successor of the Wudang Sanfeng Sect, teaching martial arts to martial arts enthusiasts from the United States, Spain, Switzerland and other places around the world. He already has a lovely daughter who can speak Chinese and English fluently, and he also looks forward to officially starting to recruit apprentices in a few years.

"My daughter is learning martial arts and guzheng. I didn't begin to understand China until I was 20, and I didn't begin to have a deep understanding until I was 28. But she started when she was 4 years old, standing at the starting line earlier than me." Pinnick is full of expectations.

"I hope we can continue to learn from each other, continue to share and develop"

"The people of China and the United States can completely transcend each other's differences and establish a profound friendship.""The youth of the two countries are not only witnesses and beneficiaries of the development of Sino-US relations over the past 45 years, but should also be the defender and promoter of the healthy and stable development of Sino-US relations in the next 45 years." Actively participate in exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States in various fields, and serve as a youth messenger to enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples "... The 2024" Gulingyuan "Sino-US Youth Exchange Week held on the 28th At the summary meeting, Youth representatives of the two countries jointly read out an initiative.

Through the platform of Exchange Week, young people from the two countries jointly discussed Sino-US relations, people-to-people exchanges and future cooperation, and also deepened their understanding of each other.

Christopher Onia (Chinese name: Louis), who is from Texas and currently teaches at the University of International Business and Economics, has studied and worked in China for 15 years. He introduced that when he first arrived in China, he was committed to understanding and learning the Chinese people's way of thinking. Famous sayings such as the Chinese people "know oneself and the enemy" and "three people walk together, there must be my teacher" gave him a lot of inspiration.

"Regardless of our race or country, I hope we can continue to learn from each other, continue to share and develop to make this world a better place." Louis said.

Born in Atlanta, she grew up in Beijing before junior high school. After returning to the United States to complete high school and college studies, Cassia Karas is now working in graphic design in New York.

His cross-cultural growth experience inspired Kallas to establish a student organization in high school to promote cross-cultural exchanges between China and the United States.

"This interest is a bit niche. Few of my high school classmates have this idea." Karas said that during the "Gulingyuan" China-US Youth Exchange Week, she not only met her primary school classmates, but also met many new friends from different backgrounds. Everyone was passionate about creating mutual understanding between countries.

"This is a continuation of goodwill, inviting more than 200 American guests. This sincerity is really touching and inspiring. At the dialogue meeting, I cried in front of Chinese seniors who had made significant contributions to Sino-US exchanges." she said.

"When I first came to China, I was a 21-year-old college student who had just graduated. Since then, my life has been closely linked to the openness and modernization of this magical country, where my children have grown up. For young people, I think China is the best choice for you to explore the wider world and appreciate the wonders of the world." said Lisa Heller (Chinese name: Geng Xin), U.S. Consul General in Guangzhou.

"No matter which field you choose to work in, China will almost certainly become an important part of your career. Learning and exchanges from each other between the people of China and the United States will benefit both sides." Geng Xin expressed his gratitude to the organizers for inviting everyone to jointly commemorate an important chapter in the history of China and the United States, jointly review the special history of Guling, and draw valuable experience from it.

Jenny Smith is studying at a community college. She likes to socialize with people and meet new friends. She has worked in a nursing home and worked as a dental assistant. She is full of vitality and currently works part-time in a bookstore.

When he learned of the opportunity to participate in this exchange week, Smith said he was sad that he had not taken the initiative to seek such an opportunity before. "I immediately had the feeling that this was exactly what I should do."

"The American media is very polarized and makes you feel like you have to take positions that you don't fully understand." Smith said she doesn't like to form opinions through hearsay, but is someone who likes to see and experience it firsthand before making decisions.

"U.S. -China relations may go through different seasons. But that doesn't mean that the situation cannot change and we cannot do better. I think it's important to be open and honest about these ups and downs. If you learn something new and share your experience, you can always change your mind."

"For the benefit of the entire world, I hope that the two great countries, the United States and China, can find ways to get along, complement each other's advantages, and create a better future for each other and the world." Li Bijing believes.

During the exchange week, Shen Xin, Secretary-General of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, discussed and exchanged contact information with Chinese and American youth representatives from time to time at the venue and restaurant. In a baseball friendly game, like many young people, he also tried to pitch for the first time in his life.

"The sole purpose of this event is to allow our young people to communicate with each other, listen to each other, and learn from each other. In these exchanges, you may find that we do have many differences, but we can also find more common ground. We can find a lot in common. So together we can do something for a better future for this world." Shen Xin said at the concluding meeting that he hoped that through this activity, representatives could make some truly good friends between the two countries.

Feng Bin, deputy director of the Department of Orthopedics at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, is one of the Chinese representatives participating in the exchange week. "The event provided a great opportunity to communicate with young people in the United States. I gained a deeper understanding of the daily medical work in the United States and the growth process of doctors. Through in-depth conversations, I felt that the two countries have many similarities in disease diagnosis and treatment, which also laid the foundation for future in-depth cooperation."

Talking about the biggest gain of this exchange week, Harriet Parkinson (Chinese name: Peng Herui), a junior student at Brigham Young University in the United States, said that she had met many good friends, and the number of WeChat friends had increased from five to more than 70. I feel very happy to meet friends, understand their stories, and share experiences with each other.

Peng and Rui said they would not be forgotten, but hoped to keep in touch."This will be the beginning of building more connections between China and the United States."

"Coming to China has been my dream since childhood." At the age of five, Peng and Rui attended a school in Minnesota that offered Chinese courses, and her parents helped her make the choice. Several years of Chinese learning have planted seeds in the heart of this little American girl and sprouted and grew.

In college, Peng Herui majored in Chinese while majoring in urban planning. She not only became friends with many international students from China, but also bluntly said that "most of her free time and weekends were spent making dumplings, playing mahjong and holding hot pot parties."

In Peng Herui's view, students who come to the United States from China to study "bravely cross the ocean and come to share their culture with us." Before coming to participate in the exchange week, she set a goal for herself to study for graduate school in China. (Reporter Zhai Xiang and Li Huiying)