On March 28, teacher and student representatives from Lincoln Middle School in Tacoma, Washington, USA, returned to their hometown after an 11-day visit to China. Facing reporters, they talked endlessly about what they saw and heard in China, regardless of the fatigue of the long-distance flight, and their faces were full of excitement and excitement.

　　“Reading thousands of books means traveling thousands of miles” – In September 2015, President Xi Jinping visited Lincoln Middle School during his visit to the United States. He used this sentence to encourage the younger generation of Americans to visit China more often. In November 2023, when President Xi Jinping attended a joint welcome banquet of American friendship groups in San Francisco and delivered a speech, he announced that in order to expand exchanges between the people of China and the United States, especially the young generation, China is willing to invite 50,000 American teenagers to come to China for exchange and study in the next five years. .

　　Join Chinese students in classes, singing, playing games, climbing the Great Wall, visiting the Forbidden City, playing Tai Chi, practicing calligraphy... 24 students from Lincoln Middle School and Stracon Middle School in Washington State visited Beijing, Shiyan in Hubei, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong, etc. land. During the trip, the children wrote rich and sincere diaries of their visit to China, recording a more real, three-dimensional and comprehensive China in their own eyes.

　　My travel experience – “so cool”

　　——March 19, sunny, Beijing.

　　"The Forbidden City is so big! We walked a lot. I took photos of many girls wearing beautiful traditional costumes."

　　"We went to eat hot pot. This is my first time eating hot pot!"

　　"At the Capital Institute of Physical Education, I learned dragon dance! It was very interesting and the person who taught me was so nice!"

　　“The view from the top of the Bird’s Nest is amazing!”

　　——March 22, sunny, Wudang Mountain.

　　“This is the most exciting part of the whole trip for me, it’s so cool!”

　　"This ancient 'Taoist palace' is so beautiful that out of respect I didn't take any pictures inside, but took a lot of pictures outside."

　　"The martial arts performance is so cool. The jumping, somersaulting, and sword dancing are all in perfect order. It's amazing!"

　　"We also did Tai Chi, which was a lot harder than it looks!"

　　These are from the diary of Montserrat Romero-Rocha, a 12th grade student at Lincoln Middle School. The beautiful scenery she saw, the delicious food she ate, the Chinese culture she experienced, and every day of her trip in China were all "eye-opening" for her.

　　Romero-Rocha's good friend and fellow 11th grader Isaiah Long made a long wish list before coming to China: climb the Great Wall, buy traditional Chinese clothing, experience Chinese history and culture... show China The rich variety of activities and extensive exchanges with Chinese peers made him feel that his wish was "overfulfilled". "China's efforts to protect the environment and save the earth are definitely the most impressive to me." This was something he had not thought of before setting off.

　　“It’s amazing to see such a perfect balance of innovation, technology and history in China,” Long exclaimed. “I believe many American students will want to look for opportunities to study in China.”

　　In 1993, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee, visited Tacoma and visited Lincoln Middle School. This school has an indissoluble bond with China. After President Xi Jinping visited Lincoln Middle School in 2015, some teachers and students were invited to visit China the following year. From cordial meetings to correspondence, President Xi Jinping interacted with teachers and students of this school many times, which not only brought great changes to the school, but also encouraged the younger generation to write touching youth stories for Sino-US friendship.

　　On February 11 this year, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan returned New Year greeting cards to teachers and students of Lincoln Middle School, extending their New Year blessings for the Lunar Year of the Dragon and welcoming teachers and students to visit China more.

　　Romero-Rocha's sister, Abrama, was one of the students who visited China in 2016. When she returned to China, Abrana brought back a collection of Chinese poems, and this book became the starting point of her sister's relationship with China.

　　My WeChat friend - "very heartwarming"

　　For teenagers, one of the attractions of this trip to China is the chance to form a cross-border friendship that may last a lifetime.

　　“The most precious thing to bring home is friendship.” said Lynne Eisenhower, the teacher at Lincoln Middle School who led the trip to China. “All of us have many more WeChat friends than before we left! I just checked this morning. There are 92 new messages in WeChat.”

　　The warmth, friendliness, openness and tolerance of the Chinese people made Eisenhower, who was leading students to visit China for the fourth time, feel "at home" again, and many students who went to China for the first time felt like spring breeze. The same hobbies and similar ideas have brought Chinese and American teenagers closer together. In face-to-face communication, the seeds of friendship have been sown.

　　"March 20, sunny, 1:21 pm, on the bus. It was really cool! I met a girl from Peking University. She was 21 years old, majoring in literature and history, and she was very nice. I added her WeChat and took photos with her. Everyone was friendly and made me feel warm." Jesse Jefferson, a member of the Lincoln Middle School choir, wrote in her diary. "Everyone is so lovely, I can't even describe in words how lovely and accommodating they are. I love it there. They are so hospitable and it feels like home." She never forgets her new Chinese friends.

　　"I think the significance of this trip to me is that it provides me with the opportunity to make new friends." Lang told reporters that it is very important to make Chinese friends. He believes that exchanges and connections between young people will close the relationship between China and the United States. .

　　Carl Horseth, principal of Lincoln Middle School, told reporters with a smile: "I believe all students will tell their relatives and friends how cute the Chinese people they met during this 11-day trip are!"

　　The more difficult the time, the more necessary it is to tighten the bonds between people and enhance people-to-people communication. For a long time, President Xi Jinping has been concerned about and personally promoted the strengthening of exchanges between Chinese and American youths and enhancing friendship.

　　In 2023, the Washington State "US-China Youth Student Exchange Association" and friendly people from all walks of life, including students from Lincoln Middle School, wrote to President Xi Jinping. President Xi Jinping sent a message in his reply letter: "I hope that more young people from China and the United States will get to know each other, walk hand in hand, become a new generation of ambassadors of friendship between the two countries, and continue to inject impetus into the development of Sino-US relations."

　　Romero-Rocha believes that it is crucial to pay attention to the exchanges between young students, because "youth are the future of society, and it is up to us to inherit and develop the friendly relations between the two countries."

My love affair with China - "Change your life"

　　On March 18, a song "On the Field of Hope" played in the High School Affiliated to Tsinghua University. Students from Lincoln Middle School and Stracon Middle School used this cheerful and affectionate Chinese song as a gift to Chinese friends and won the championship. Round of applause.

　　On September 23, 2015, President Xi Jinping visited Lincoln Middle School. Students from the choir of Lincoln Middle School and students from the Middle School Affiliated to Fuzhou Institute of Education sang "On the Field of Hope". The beautiful singing and the friendship between the youths of the two countries won applause from everyone present.

　　This song has been sung at Lincoln Middle School for nine years and carries the love for China among many American students.

　　"When I sang this song, I felt very close to the Chinese people." Romero-Rocha wrote in his diary that music can transcend language barriers and bring people closer.

　　Thomas Hoseth, principal of Lincoln Middle School, said: "Having the opportunity to visit China, a country with thousands of years of civilization and a country full of new possibilities, is definitely a life-changing experience."

　　Eisenhower has been teaching in Washington State for 45 years and has witnessed the friendly exchanges between President Xi Jinping and the local people. "We can feel that he (President Xi Jinping) sincerely cares about us, and we sincerely care about him," she said.

　　Thirty-three years ago, Horseth first came to China as a college student to participate in an American football exhibition game. In 2015, President Xi Jinping watched the students' rugby training class at Lincoln Middle School, and happily accepted the rugby balls and rugby jerseys presented by the students after the training class. In an interview with reporters, Horseth talked about this "coincidence" and believed that it confirmed that sports is also one of the "common languages" and bonds of friendship between the Chinese and American people.

　　A book, a trip, a song, a sport, these are all carriers of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States, and they are all witnesses of the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. "As long as we continue to strengthen this kind of people-to-people exchanges, we can find common ground and break down barriers." Horseth is full of expectations for the future of Sino-US friendship.