Friendships forged at Sino-U.S. youth festival

Kuliang is not only a famous summer retreat on the hilly outskirts of Fuzhou, but also a longtime haven for friendly exchanges between Chinese and U.S. people.

In the 1880s, foreign expats including doctors and engineers from France, the United Kingdom and the United States who resided in or near Fuzhou, the capital of East China's Fujian province, built holiday villas in Kuliang, and lived in harmony with local villagers for decades.

Last month, Kuliang and Fuzhou hosted the Bond with Kuliang: 2024 China-U.S. Youth Festival — the largest youth exchange event between the two nations since diplomatic relations were established in 1979.

More than 200 young people from the U.S. attended the five-day festival, together with over 300 Chinese youths.

In a congratulatory message sent to the opening of the festival on June 24, President Xi Jinping said that young people are energetic and full of dreams, and "the future of China-U.S. relations lies in young people".

"If there is anything that I've seen so far throughout this trip, it's that although we may have different cultures, there are things that we share," said Zev Curiel-Friedman, a festival participant and a member of the communication staff at the University of California, Davis.

Curiel-Friedman's enthusiasm for interaction led him to participate in a friendly three-on-three half-court basketball match. "I've played basketball my whole life," he said.

The match stood out as a highlight of the dozens of activities held during the festival, such as roundtable discussions, bazaars, documentary screenings, art salons and concerts.