Canada

Jilin and Saskatchewan planted a friendship tree 30 years ago and now it has deep roots, said Kari Harvey, assistant deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs of the province in Canada.

"We are still nurturing the tree which helps us learn from each other and make progress," Harvey said at a gala evening on Sept 4.

The popular Chinese folk song Mo Li Hua - or Jasmine Flower - and a folk dance from Jilin were performed.

Representatives from the University of Regina in Saskatchewan also joined in the event, singing a popular modern song, You Are My Guiding Eyes, in Chinese.

Los Angeles

It was a special concert. Chinese traditional paintings were displayed on the screen of Los Angeles's San Gabriel Mission Playhouse as the Jilin symphony orchestra played on Sept 8. One of the paintings shown - Beauty and Prosperity Along the Songhua River - captured picturesque scenery near the river and Changbai Mountains. As the music played by the Jilin orchestra reached a crescendo, 32 singers from the chorus of Mt San Antonio College began to sing to a combination of Chinese traditional and Western music. Cultural events by Jilin were held in seven cities in Los Angeles County including San Gabriel and Alhambra over seven days.

San Francisco

"I loved the concert. It's great!" said Zheng Guang from the US.

"The symphony and folk music of Jilin are very good and I hope to watch more excellent shows from Jilin and China in my hometown," said Zheng after the concert held in a San Francisco Bay Area theater.

Other programs during the three-day tour included performance by the Jilin Acrobatics Troupe and a show of Manchu folk dress.

Li Baofeng, a senior scissor-cut expert in Jilin, presented a depiction of Bruce Lee - a work that took her more than three months to complete - to China's consulate general in San Francisco.

?