Hearts across continents between Oklahoma, Gansu

Whether it's performing the Oklahoma state song with Chinese instruments or crossing the Gobi Desert to the rhythm of American country music, unexpected cultural blends reflect a longtime bond between Oklahoma and China's Gansu province.

The state of Oklahoma celebrated its four-decade sistership with Gansu province at the Silk Road Connection celebration Monday at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in Edmond. The event marked the cultural, educational and economic exchange between the heartlands of both nations.

"Here we are, celebrating 40 years in once again. I'm very proud of UCO and its international relationship and proud to have our friends from Gansu province once again come and visit us," George Nigh, former governor of Oklahoma and former president of UCO, said at the concert.

Nigh, 97 years old, recalled his visit to Gansu with his wife, Donna, noting that the province was so large that their plane had to stop near the Gobi Desert just to refuel.

A 1,600-kilometer stretch of the ancient Silk Road passed through Gansu from east to west, linking the region to Asia and Europe through trade and cultural exchange. The interactions have continued into the 21st century, extending to North America through the efforts of both American and Chinese people.

Nigh traveled to Lanzhou, the capital of the province, in 1985 and signed the sister-state agreement. The friendship has been preserved over the decades and continues to connect across generations.

"I love the relationship between Oklahoma and Gansu," Nigh told China Daily. "[People] go to other places around the world, but the longest one is between Oklahoma and Gansu."

Nigh recalled that years ago, there were fewer international students at UCO, but over time, thanks to connections with delegations from Gansu, more student groups began visiting the state, and he saw a growing number of cultural exchanges.

Kyle Dillingham, an Oklahoma fiddler, and his band Horseshoe Road have served as musical ambassadors between China and the US. Dillingham has traveled to China nearly 20 times, performing bluegrass and American country music for Chinese audiences.

During the 40th anniversary commemoration performance, Dillingham not only played traditional American folk music but also collaborated with Chinese erhu musicians on a famous erhu piece, Horse Racing, with his violin.

The Gansu delegation also contributed to the celebration with Chinese dance and music performances, featuring ethnic group traditions and a rendition of the Oklahoma state song.

"So it was a fantastic moment — the Gansu musicians really did our state song justice! I know that is one performance people will never forget," Dillingham told China Daily.

"We have a traditional Chinese ensemble, and we're going to pull them both together in a way that we blend the Chinese sounds in the traditional American folk sounds together and hopefully exemplify this between our countries," he said. "I have this belief about music that it has the power to inspire, encourage and heal. I take every chance I have, whether it's small or big, to share the music and hopes that it will bring us all closer together."

Dillingham said the cultural exchanges have promoted greater understanding.

"We cannot be more proud of the friendship, and everything that it represents for these past 40 years, but especially looking forward to what is the next 40 years," he said. "There's one thing that we're all called to do and capable of doing, and that's to love our neighbors. It might be the person living next door, or it might be the person across the world.

"We now have the people — our friends from across the world — who've come to be our neighbors here and to share in the love that we feel for them and they feel for us," he said. "It's a special time.

"Oklahoma is the heartland of the United States, and in Gansu, it's also the heart of China. It's amazing really that 40 years ago, leaders were able to decipher and figure out to put Oklahoma and Gansu together because it was a match," he said. "And heart connects heart."

Dillingham said he plans to return to Gansu and hopes to bring more students from the younger generation with him in September to promote people-to-people exchanges. He wants them to experience what he enjoyed — traditional Chinese music, horseback riding in the Gobi Desert, watching the sunset, and tasting goji berries.

The connections between UCO, Gansu and Asia, also continue through academia.

Sydney Morrow, a professor in the Philosophy and Humanities Department at UCO, said she will teach a humanities course titled "The Silk Road" in the upcoming fall semester.

"It's exciting that I have this opportunity to do Chinese humanities and Central Asian humanities. I think that it's incredibly important that people learn about it," Morrow told China Daily.

"There's not just one Silk Road — it's actually an entire network of routes that travel overland through deserts and around mountains, as well as maritime routes. So all along the water borders of Asia, there were ships going back and forth," she said. "This nexus of relationality connects all of Asia during what turns out to be, for example, the golden age of China.

"There should be more [exchanges]. I mean, look at the turnout. People are really showing up to commemorate this sisterhood and see what it's about," she added. "In the broadest possible way, it shows that we want to know more.

"We want this sisterhood, we want to be closer, we want more exchanges to happen. I think people in Oklahoma are hungry for that kind of knowledge and companionship," she said.