Youth exchange brings Sichuan, Washington students closer

Macy Reber already had a few things in mind for her new friends from China: shopping for Halloween costumes, carving pumpkins and trying some of her favorite cookies.

The 16-year-old Steilacoom High School student had traveled to China herself over the summer.

"I love getting to know new people," she said, "and it's more interesting that they're from different countries too." Reber described her trip as "a really good experience" and encouraged her classmates to travel to China in the future.

Now, with students from Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, visiting her school in Washington state, she was getting to experience the exchange from the other side.

"We're gonna take them to go buy their Halloween costumes, we're gonna carve pumpkins, and I really want to buy them cookies," Reber said of the two Chinese students she was hosting.

For students from Dujiangyan and Steilacoom, the visit offered a glimpse into one another's everyday lives. Their conversations moved easily from school and sports to technology and what teenagers do outside the classroom.

Gao Shihang, a student at Qingchengshan Senior High School in Dujiangyan, said he quickly found that he and his American peers had plenty to talk about. They discussed soccer and compared the artificial intelligence tools they use in their daily lives.

"They usually use ChatGPT in America, but we use Doubao in China," Gao said.

The two apps were different, shaped by different users and habits, but both proved useful in much the same ways. Gao saw a parallel in the students themselves: they had grown up in different cultures, but were quickly finding how much they had in common.

For Miles Kelly, 16, those similarities were one of the biggest takeaways from the day.

"I talked to my buddy about what he did in his daily life, what classes he likes," Kelly said. "It's interesting to see how they overlap."

Kelly has never been to China. But after spending the day with the visiting students, he said he hopes to make a similar trip with his school next summer.

The students came together on Tuesday in Steilacoom for the Sichuan-Washington State Youth Friendship Exchange Event, part of a visit by a youth delegation from Dujiangyan.

The visit also marked a new step in the relationship between their schools. Qingchengshan Senior High School and Steilacoom High School signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a sister-school relationship, with plans for future student and teacher visits, cultural activities, academic exchanges and online programs.

For Gao, the next step is already easy to imagine. He said he hopes one day to welcome his new American friends to Dujiangyan and take them around his hometown, including Qingcheng Mountain.

Ron Chow, co-chairperson of the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, said he was glad to see young people from China and the US forming friendships through the exchange.

Since 2015, he and the association have helped bring thousands of young people from the two countries together through visits and exchange programs.

"The future depends on the youth," Chow said, adding that he hopes young people can see each other's countries firsthand and build friendships of their own.

Washington state has a long history of ties with China. Direct shipping resumed through the Port of Seattle in 1979, and Washington and Sichuan established a sister-state and sister-province relationship in 1982.

"China is also Washington's largest export market, and Washington brands like Starbucks and Costco have become household names for many Chinese people. All this shows how closely our two communities are connected," said Zhang Jianmin, Chinese consul general in San Francisco.

In 2015, President Xi Jinping made Washington the first stop of his US state visit, when he invited 100 local high school students to visit China the following year. In 2023, Xi announced in San Francisco an initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study over five years. The target was reached two and a half years ahead of schedule. During Xi's state visit in September, Xi announced a new initiative to invite 100,000 American students to China over the next five years.

"From food, music and Labubu to basketball, pickleball and flag football, American young people have found common ground with their Chinese peers through shared interests," Zhang said. "They have written new chapters in the story of China-US friendship."

Zhang Tao, director-general of the Foreign Affairs Office of Sichuan Province, told the students that face-to-face exchanges could create connections that endure beyond a single visit.

"The real understanding and trust you build face to face is something that no one can take away from you," she said. "And that is what will shape a better future for our two places, our two countries, and eventually the world your generation will inherit."