US students find shared experiences in China

As one of 13 high school students and teachers from George School in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, on a cultural exchange tour to Shanxi, Shaheed and his companions visited Datong, Taiyuan, Jinzhong and other areas in Shanxi from Oct 20 to 24.

The tour was co-hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Shanxi Province and China Daily Youth Channel, in accordance with an initiative to bring 100,000 young Americans to China for exchanges and study over the coming five years. The aim is to inject youthful vitality into people-to-people friendship between China and the US.

Another US student, Clay Marentette, also experienced China for the first time. At an intangible cultural heritage workshop in Liujiabu village, Taiyuan, he picked up a carving knife and tried to cut out the Chinese character for fu, which means blessing, on paper. Fu is one of the most popular and auspicious characters in Chinese culture, as it symbolizes happiness and well-being.

"I think that paper-cutting takes a lot of skill and patience," Marentette said. In his view, the aspiration for a better life carried by fu has special meaning for his generation.