A few days ago, President Xi Jinping responded to a letter to students from the American Muscatine High School delegation visiting China and sent New Year greeting cards in return, extending holiday blessings to all teachers and students at the school and welcoming more American teenagers to come to China for exchange and study.

On the 26th local time, Muscatine Middle School expressed its gratitude to President Xi Jinping through China Central Radio and Television and looked forward to making greater contributions to Sino-US youth exchanges.

△Representatives of visiting teachers and students from Muscatine Middle School shouted “I love China!” in Chinese!

△ Cole (Wang Gangwei), a representative of exchange students in China, expressed his gratitude to Grandpa Xi

　　Facing the camera, Cole (Wang Gangwei), a high school student who had just finished his trip to China, said in Chinese: "Thank you, Grandpa Xi. My Chinese name is Wang Gangwei. We want to thank you! You let us go to China. China is very big." It’s also beautiful, and we are very grateful for the friendship between the Chinese and Americans. We welcome you to come to Muscatine again. Thank you very much!”

　　Cole told reporters that he learned Chinese pinyin in the Chinese class at school, but he was not yet proficient in reading and writing Chinese characters.

In order to remember it, he wrote this passage in Chinese Pinyin and expressed his gratitude to Grandpa Xi through the lens of the main station.

　　As an important promoter of the visit to China by teachers and students of Muscatine Middle School, Ms. Sara Landi attended the day's event.

Randy said that in 1985, Xi Jinping, who was working in Zhengding County, Hebei Province, led a delegation to inspect Iowa. It has been nearly 40 years now, and this friendship has been passed on to the younger generation.

It is hoped that young people from China and the United States can become "civilian ambassadors" and promote the people of the two countries to better understand each other.

Landi also praised China Central Radio and Television for playing a positive role as a "messenger" in the process of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

△Ms. Sara Landy, friend from Iowa

　　Jennifer Fridley, principal of the junior high school at Muscatine Middle School, said that being able to personally lead students to visit China was the most glorious experience in her educational career. She was deeply impressed by the friendliness and enthusiasm of the Chinese people and the profoundness of Chinese culture.

I hope that Chinese teenagers can also visit Muscatine and continue to contribute to promoting Sino-US youth exchanges.

△Jennifer Fridley, principal of Muscatine Middle School Junior High School

　　Muscatine High School Principal Ryan Castle, who will lead the second group of students to visit China in April, said he is very much looking forward to personally leading students to communicate with Chinese teenagers.

△Muscatine High School Principal Ryan Castle

　　The short trip to China allowed Muscatine middle school students to broaden their horizons, make new friends, and witness a friendly, open, and prosperous China.

Student representative Vanessa said that although she has been studying Chinese for three years and has been exposed to some Chinese culture, being able to go to China in person is a completely different experience.

She believes that in the future, more young students from China and the United States will visit each other and understand each other better.

△Student representative Vanessa

　　At the event, the students sang the Chinese song "Love Retains Eternal Memory." This song was specially created to commemorate President Xi's visit to Muscatine that year and called for the inheritance of the friendship between the Chinese and American people.

The lyrics say: "Unforgettable kind smiles, unforgettable warm words. You will never forget the small town experience you once had. Now that you have returned to your hometown, the town is full of laughter, friends are looking forward to getting together, people are longing for friendship, and the world is calling for peace. The earth longs for beauty..."

△Student representatives sang the Chinese song "Love Keeps Eternal Memory"

△Lyrics annotated in Chinese Pinyin

　　Teachers and students of Muscatine Middle School also watched the English version of the Year of the Dragon Lantern Festival Gala produced by the main station.

Middle school student Sienna Stoneking said she was looking forward to the opportunity to watch the Spring Festival Gala or Lantern Festival Gala on the main station.

This trip to China has made her fall in love with China and Chinese culture. She has come up with the idea of ​​studying in China to learn more about Chinese culture.

　　At the end of the activity, the students shouted "I love China!" in Chinese to express their love for China.

　　△Middle school student Sienna Stoneking

△Muscatine High School Principal Ryan Castle accepted CCTV’s cultural and creative products on behalf of the school

　　In November 2023, during President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States, he announced that China is willing to invite 50,000 American teenagers to exchange and study in China in the next five years.

Sara Landy, a friend from Iowa, USA, wrote to President Xi, expressing her hope that Muscatine High School will also participate in this plan.

With the care of President Xi, from January 24th to 30th, as the first batch of American middle school students in the project, more than 20 students from Muscatine Middle School went to Beijing, Hebei, Shanghai and other places for exchange visits.

In April this year, the second group of students from Muscatine High School will continue to visit China.

(CCTV reporter Liu Xu, Wang Shuguang and Bai Fan)