Friendships forged at Sino-US youth festival

Rekindling friendship

Amy Chastain, a faculty member at the University of Iowa and executive director of Global Ties Iowa, a non-governmental organization that coordinates international people-to-people exchanges, has vast global experience in teaching English as a second language.

She used to live and teach in China, and attended the festival along with students from her university.

"I call it my second home, so I want them to experience places that are dear to me, because I know the people in China are so warm and welcoming," she said.

She described China as "the safest place" she had ever lived.

"Every year I travel for a conference, and I get in trouble because I forget to remind myself that I am not in China," Chastain said.

Carla Canales, a US opera singer and arts envoy, told the young audience at a festival dialogue to never underestimate the power of a friendship or a connection.

"Someone sitting next to you might invite you in four years to be part of something. There might be a job opportunity. There might be a new entrepreneurial project," said Canales, who joined the Joe Biden administration last year as the first senior adviser and envoy for cultural exchange, a new position at the US National Endowment for the Arts.

"Make sure you connect with the people in this room and stay in touch," she added.

Speaking at the festival's opening, Lisa Heller, the US consul general in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, shared her early memories of China. She told of when she first came to China as a 21-year-old college graduate.

"My own children grew up here, and I can think of no better place for a young person to get to know about the wider world and its parts, than China," she said.

She called the decision by participants to take part in the festival "a testament" to their curiosity, which showed their willingness to share their experiences, and their commitment to becoming leaders, and possibly future diplomats.

When underlining the huge importance of the US-China relationship, she said, "From economic cooperation to environmental protection, the work we do is crucial in shaping a peaceful and prosperous future for all."

"We may have our differences, but we cannot forget those critical human connections," she said. "Studying in China offers you an unparalleled opportunity to immerse yourself in its rich cultural heritage."

Many young people at the festival joined in nine panel discussions focusing on themes such as artificial intelligence, climate change, social media, and global governance.

The festival also featured the "Kuliang Chat on Climate Change: China and US in Action" event, which gathered together leading scholars and young people to share views and exchange ideas on protecting the planet.

Anna O'Connor, a University of Iowa undergraduate, said, "I'm really interested in the climate issue and providing climate security and sustainability across the world because obviously that's very important."

"I'm also interested in international studies and different cultures and their history … I knew that there might be some differences between the stories (of the people) in the United States and the stories in China.

"Learning everyone's stories is important and getting (to hear) everyone's experience is very exciting," she said.

Christopher Oniya, from Houston, Texas, and a graduate of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, enjoyed the inclusive atmosphere at the festival venues. "I'm not asking my Chinese counterparts to change, and they're not asking me to change," he said.