Immersive cultural tourism has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years. This new form of experiential travel has tapped into the growing consumer demand for interactive and sensory-rich experiences, creating a fresh dynamic in the tourism industry. The success of immersive cultural tourism can be attributed to its ability to meet people's evolving expectations and its capacity to breathe new life into cultural heritage and narratives. 

"Immersive" has become a buzzword in recent years, primarily due to the advancement of technologies such as the internet, big data and virtual reality. At its core, immersion refers to being deeply absorbed or engrossed in a particular environment or activity. 

This concept has been applied in various contexts, encompassing two main forms: one involves constructing real or virtual environments that transport individuals into entirely new worlds, like walking onto a stage as real-life performances are going on, while others utilize online platforms such as livestreaming, videos, and augmented reality (AR) to immerse people in specific scenarios or events.

The explosive popularity of the immersive trend can be attributed to its inherent interactivity and experiential nature, which cater to the evolving desires of modern-day travelers. Superficial tourism or passive learning experiences have lost their glamour as tourists seek more accurate, deeper and more engaging participation and immersion. In response to this demand, immersive cultural performances, night tours and immersive exhibitions have sprung up, breathing life into cultural and educational experiences. 

Immersive experiences integrate technology, intelligence and creativity. They recreate historical settings, depict fantastical dreamscapes, design experiential spaces for both old and new items, and create real-time interactive platforms. Immersion offers sensory experiences involving sight, sound, touch, and smell, as well as narrative and emotional experiences, along with the pursuit of values, making them multi-dimensional and all-encompassing experiences that affect both body and mind. 

The immersive cultural tourism wave is transforming the essence of travel by offering deeper, more meaningful experiences. It goes beyond the traditional elements of "traveling, shopping and entertainment," and focuses on in-depth exploration and interactive leisure. Recent examples of immersive cultural tourism demonstrate its ability to enrich travel experiences.

In Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the slogan "Xi'an during the day, Chang'an (the ancient name of Xi'an) at night," welcomes visitors to the Tang Dynasty Everbright City, a place that transports tourists to the splendors of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) at its prime. The interactive game Tang Dynasty Treasure Box has also gained immense popularity for its immersive nature. 

In Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, the China Grand Canal Museum offers a lifelike experience, digitally showcasing the history and culture of the Grand Canal in its entirety. Visitors can explore the canal's history and culture from every angle, across all time periods, and from various perspectives. 

In Pingyao, North China's Shanxi Province, a large-scale immersive theater production titled Revisiting Pingyao introduces a unique walk-through viewing experience. The audience is not confined to seats. Instead, they move along with the storyline, witnessing different scenes as the narrative unfolds, making them both spectators and participants in the story.

In Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu Province, a high-profile immersive cave performance Ancient Sound of Dunhuang offers visitors an opportunity to explore the mural paintings of the Mogao Caves in an immersive manner. Dubbed the "living No.736 cave of the Mogao Caves," it illustrates the story of ancient music through the use of traditional Chinese instruments, injecting new vitality into the city, especially in slack winter seasons.

By adopting immersive experiences, these attractions have unlocked the potential of cultural and tourism resources, reviving traditional culture in the modern era and presenting it in a fresh light. 

In essence, tourism involves temporarily leaving one's usual place of residence and experiencing a change in one's surroundings and relationships. Immersive cultural tourism offers a much more enriching experience, reflecting the integration of culture and tourism.

From a content perspective, immersive cultural tourism caters to a wide range of cultural elements, including historical, revolutionary and ecological themes. These experiences allow tourists to immerse themselves in the past, present, and even the realm of their imagination. 

From a technological perspective, immersive cultural tourism leverages innovations like 5G, ultra-high-definition screens, augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence and the metaverse. These experiences break free from traditional viewing methods, allowing visitors to walk through and immerse themselves in a storyline.

Immersive cultural tourism is transforming the way people travel by offering in-depth exploration, interactive experiences and meaningful learning opportunities. It elevates tourism from the superficial pursuit of sightseeing to a holistic engagement with culture and history. Additionally, it plays an irreplaceable role in promoting cultural heritage, sharing China's stories, enhancing cultural confidence, and fostering cultural development. 

By offering interactive, sensory-rich experiences that transcend traditional tourism, it has brought new life to cultural heritage and narratives. As travel is no longer just about sightseeing but also about experiencing, learning and connecting with culture and history, immersive cultural tourism has found its place. It has not only enhanced the tourism experience but also contributed to cultural preservation and revitalization. 

Three scientists, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier, won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics "for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Tuesday.

South Africa's mining production, one of the country's pillar industries, decreased by 2.5 percent year on year in August, with diamonds, manganese ore and other metallic minerals being the main contributors, data have shown.

In August, the production of diamonds dropped by 54.6 percent, becoming the largest negative contributor to the country's mining sector, while the production of manganese ore and other metallic minerals went down 7.9 percent and 17.6 percent in August, respectively, according to data released by Statistics South Africa Thursday.

In the three months ended August, seasonally adjusted mining production in South Africa decreased by 2 percent compared with the previous three months, with the largest negative contributors being gold, coal and manganese ore.

Gold production went down 6.5 percent in the three months ended August, and the production of coal and manganese ore dropped by 2.8 percent and 6 percent, respectively, Statistics South Africa said.

"The International Cultural Festival facilitates cross-cultural exchanges and mutual understanding among young people from different countries, allowing them to explore core values in different cultural contexts," Georgian Ambassador to China Archil Kalandia said at the opening ceremony of 2023 Peking University International Culture Festival. 

The festival successfully kicked off on October 21 in Beijing, titled "Meet the World at PKU," and included participation from students from more than 100 countries and regions. Ambassadors from Jordan, Venezuela, Grenada, Cuba, Thailand, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Mexico also attended the opening ceremony.

Ambassador Kalandia expressed a belief that cooperation in the field of higher education is an important direction to promote international exchanges and cooperation. He encouraged teachers and students from the two countries to participate in a variety of international exchange programs to promote mutual exchanges and mutual understanding, and hoped that Peking University would play a more active role in strengthening educational cooperation between the two countries.

This year's festival featured a number of activities, including a themed garden tour, an international food festival at the world food court, and a chess tour of Yanyuan in Peking University. 

Among them, the "Meet the World at PKU" theme garden set up more than 50 booths covering 47 countries and regions from five continents. At the booths, international students from different countries elaborately displayed their unique histories and cultures, allowing teachers and students to appreciate the social customs of different countries. 

Launched in 2004, the Peking University International Culture Festival will hold a series of activities from October to December, such as a singing contest to feature the top 10 singers among international students, international youth speeches, the Chinese speech contest for international students, a movie view party, and a photography exhibition.

"We are disappointed that Japan still wants to go ahead and dump the nuclear polluted water into the Pacific, because we are not convinced by the scientific reports that it will be safe for marine life, or for communities who are going to be affected," former prime minister of Papua New Guinea Peter O'Neill told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

He told the Global Times that efforts will continue to ask international agencies including the United Nations to attend to the concerns of people in the Pacific region.

On July 4, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and announced the final safety review report for the release of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The report stated that Japan's plan for dumping the nuclear-contaminated wastewater "meets safety standards," but it also emphasizes that the report cannot serve as the standard for Japan's approval of the policy.

Japan's plan to dump the nuclear-contaminated wastewater has been met with strong protests and concerns from the international community since it was first proposed in 2021. According to the plan, Japan intends to discharge 1.3 million tons of treated nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean over the next 30 to 40 years.

In addition to neighboring countries such as China and South Korea, many Pacific island nations, which are ecologically vulnerable and heavily reliant on ocean fisheries, are also affected. Earlier this year, the Pacific Island Forum collectively opposed Japan's plan to dump the nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean and sent a delegation to Japan for talks on the issue.

O'Neill was talking to the Global Times after attending an event organized by the think tank Center for China and Globalization (CCG). He said Japan owes it to the international community and to the Pacific to take the issue seriously, adding that they should not dump the nuclear-contaminated wastewater and should find other ways of trying to treat the water or to manage the problem.

He stressed that it isn't the Pacific that started the problem of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater in Japan.

"It is their own issue and they need to manage it better. Many countries in the Pacific are very disappointed. They do not support Japan in doing this," he said.

"We all know from experience that for nuclear waste of any form, it takes time, it takes years, it takes decades [to resolve]. It's not resolved in a few years. Over time you will still have the presence of nuclear content within the waste that has been disposed of," he said.

As Japan continues with its plan despite the protests from Pacific Island countries, O'Neill told the Global Times that they will raise their questions to international organizations including the UN.

"Is this water safe? Will this water affect marine life? Is this water not going to affect individuals who have to drink water in the Pacific? These are questions that need to be answered," he said.

On the IAEA's release of a comprehensive report on the dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that the report "failed to fully reflect views from experts that participated in the review." Also, "the conclusion was not shared by all experts. The Chinese side regrets the hasty release of the report," the spokesperson said.

"We believe that the IAEA report should not be a 'shield' or 'greenlight' for Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean. Due to its limited mandate, the IAEA failed to review the justification and legitimacy of Japan's ocean discharge plan, assess the long-term effectiveness of Japan's purification facility and corroborate the authenticity and accuracy of Japan's nuclear-contaminated water data. Therefore, the conclusion is largely limited and incomplete. We noted that Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated that the IAEA conducted the review at the request of the Japanese government and the report is neither a recommendation nor an endorsement of Japan's ocean discharge policy," said the spokesperson.

The UAE Ambassador to China Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi met with the Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang, on July 19, to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fields of science, technological development and innovation.
The ambassador gave a positive evaluation of the effectiveness of China-Arab cooperation in science and technology. He affirmed his willingness to work together with the Chinese side to further deepen cooperation in the field of science and technology innovation.

Wang said that China and the UAE have a long history of relations and technical that are constantly being strengthened. 

During Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the UAE in 2018, the two countries announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership, which opened a new chapter in China-Arab relations.

Wang said that scientific and technological progress is the key driving force of human progress, noting that China-Arab scientific and technological cooperation benefits both countries and peoples, and he is willing to work together with the UAE Ambassador to continue to deepen China-Arab scientific and technological innovation cooperation.

Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Palitha Kohona visited the Beijing Hanyitang TCM Hospital on August 7 and praised traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as an attractive form of medical treatment. 

Kohona experienced TCM techniques of pulse-taking, tuina, cupping and acupuncture, all experiences that the ambassador termed "amazing!" 

Kohona has always been interested in Chinese medicine and has experienced TCM techniques such as tuina in the past, but his visit to the Beijing Hanyitang TCM Hospital was his first acupuncture experience. "The whole process was so relaxing that I even took a nap. After doing it, my body was much more relaxed and I felt amazing," he said.

Zhang Ju, the chairman of the Beijing Hanyitang Medical Health Group, briefed the history of the  hospital to the ambassador. Zhang said that inheriting and innovating TCM culture has always been the aim of the hospital and new technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence are being applied in TCM.

"I hope China will open a TCM hospital in Sri Lanka, where there are also many lovers of Chinese medicine in our country, and at the same time, I hope that there will be more mutual exchanges and learning experiences between the medical practitioners of our two countries," Kohona said.

"I am delighted to once again visit the Inner Mongolia, and witness a group of intelligent people in an intelligent nation utilizing high technology to develop their economy in the desert."

The Ninth Kubuqi International Desert Forum (KIDF) was held from August 25 to 27, in Ordos, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Bronislaw Komorowski, the former president of Poland who was invited to attend the forum, shared his impressions about the event during an exclusive interview with the Global Times recently.

After listening to domestic and foreign experts' views on China's desertification control measures and experiences at the forum, and conducting field investigations to some ecological photovoltaic sand control areas, Komorowski pointed out that the experience of desert control in Kubuqi is a microcosm of China's ecological civilization construction.

"What impressed me is the increasing greening area of the Kubuqi Desert and the modern technology being applied in energy production. It can be seen that the Chinese government is attaching more importance to the issues of ecological environment protection and sustainable development, which is in line with global environmental protection efforts," he said.

As an important participant in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Komorowski noted that Poland has also actively carried out a green transformation in recent years. The former president said he admired China's continued assistance to other countries' development of ecological and green economies, and that he also saw vast opportunities for cooperation between China and Poland which benefit from the exchange of experiences in ecological environmental protection and the development of green energy.
Green miracle in desert

"China's sole emphasis now is no longer fighting desertification, but combines desert control with industrial development to achieve the common development of ecology, industry, and society, which brings new development opportunities to the people in desert areas," said Komorowski, noting that the theme of this year's forum, "Science and Technology Leads Desert Control, Making Deserts Benefit Mankind," aroused his interest and is highly recognized.

Kubuqi Desert is the seventh-largest desert in China, forming a huge yellow sand belt toward the north of the Ordos Plateau, only 800 kilometers away from Beijing. The Kubuqi Desert was once known as "the sea of death."

When the People's Republic of China was founded, the Kubuqi Desert advanced dozens of meters toward the shore of the Yellow River every year. After dozens of years of painstaking management, a third of the 14,100-square-kilometer Kubuqi Desert is now covered with green vegetation. China's Ministry of Science and Technology has conducted a remote analysis of desert changes over the last 20 years, proving that vegetation cover in the core treatment area of the Kubuqi Desert has reached 65 percent, an increase of more than 30 percent compared with that of 10 years ago.

Komorowski, who participated in the 6th Kubuqi International Desert Forum in 2017, considers himself as a witness to the changes in the Kubuqi Desert.

"What happened in Kubuqi Desert is a typical case of using technology to combat desertification and benefit the people. We can see that under the premise of effective governance and strict protection, China has adopted a market-oriented and industrialized approach, effectively integrating desert prevention and control with local economic development, while increasing the income of local people," he said.

Komorowski also expressed his interest in China's use of technology to develop new energy as an important means of desert control. For example, the Elion Resources Group (Elion)'s Kubuqi Desert Control and Yellow River Protection Project has practiced the ecological photovoltaic desert control and protection system. The company has seized the strategic opportunity of China's carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality goals, investing in the construction of a 3.2GW three-dimensional photovoltaic desert control project in Kubuqi Desert, with an annual power generation capacity of 5.5 billion kilowatt-hours.

At the same time, Elion has built a green ecological agriculture system, planting grass, crops, and medicinal herbs under the photovoltaic panels in 150,000-mu solar farm, while also developing eco-tourism. So far, it has lifted 102,000 people out of poverty in the desert area, leading to accelerated rural revitalization.

"The Chinese government has led enterprises and society to continuously explore technological innovations for desertification, making more people realize that as long as it is used reasonably, the desert can become an opportunity and a valuable resource and source of wealth," he said.

Vast space for cooperation
The KIDF is currently the world's only large-scale international forum on desertification control, and has now become an important platform for exchanges on global responses to desertification challenges.

Each country has different ideas and interests, so the international community has some cooperative differences and difficulties in dealing with desertification, which makes it invaluable to carry out dialogues on international cooperation.

Through the forum, more exchanges will be made to find common points of convergence in the interest of many parties, Komorowski said.

Land desertification is a serious challenge facing the whole world. According to United Nations statistics, desertified land area accounts for a quarter of the earth's land surface area, affects a fifth of the world's population, and expands at a rate of 50,000-70,000 square kilometers per year, causing economic losses of up to $42 billion annually.

While over the last decade, China complete the task of sand control and prevention in 282 million mu (18.8 million hectares) of land, reducing the area of sandy land by more than 64.9 million mu, contributing to 25 percent of the world's green increment.

"The increase in forest cover on every inch of China's land is not only a benefit to China, but to human society as a whole," Komorowski said, noting that China, with its vast territory and globally leading economic development, has responded to the trend of the times, consciously assumed the responsibility of a great nation, and demonstrated its ambition to lead the cooperation and development of ecological environmental protection on a global scale.

Komorowski noted that although Poland does not have a desert, it is also active in the area of green transition as a key participant in the BRI. "Poland used to be one of the largest coal producers in Europe and one of the major coal importers. With global energy transition acceleration, Poland is also vigorously laying out the development of new energy, solar, and wind power industries. During the post-epidemic era, the European Union has invested heavily in the new energy industry."

Both China and Poland are facing the important task of deep energy transformation and the development of a green energy economy, and there is a vast space for cooperation in the field of new energy, he stressed.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of China's proposal of building a global community of a shared future and the BRI. China actively promotes international dialogue, alignment between international cooperation on the BRI, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

"China's model of desert management and its achievements in the field of developing new energy have been highly appreciated by the international community. At the same time, China has continued to help other countries develop their ecological and green economies," Komorowski said. "It is believed that more and more countries will benefit from the exchange of experience in this field in the future."

After enduring a bumpy 3.5-hour-long highway ride and a bout of traffic congestion, we finally arrived in Indonesian famous tourism city Bandung by car, which was only 130 kilometers from the capital Jakarta, during a fieldtrip to the Tegalluar Station, the last point on the Jakarta-Bandung HSR in July. 

Locals told us that the same journey sometimes takes up to six or seven hours during peak commuting hours, and the rainy weather only makes matters worse. 

Compared with the hustle and bustle of Jakarta, Bandung, nestled in the mountains, is calm, humid, and has an abundance of fresh air, making it a very popular weekend escape for Jakartans. 

Taking a trial ride on the train to Bandung was fairly a pleasant experience. On the trial run, and at a speed of approximately 180km/h, one could effortlessly balance a coin on its edge on the windowsill of the carriage without it falling, thanks to its smooth operation, which is also almost entirely silent. 

We learned that the train is equipped with intelligent sensor technology and a seismic monitoring and warning system. With over 2,500 detection points throughout the train, all critical systems can be monitored in real time. 

Facilities for those living with disabilities and an SOS call button, braille guide signs, and vending machines are easily found in the train's carriages. 

The train's design has also incorporated amenities that cater to local Indonesian customs such as a temporary prayer room. The train, both in its exterior and interior design, showcases a rich and distinctive representation of Indonesian local symbols and elements.

The HSR includes four stops - Halim, Karawang, Padalarang, and Tegalluar. Halim is the inaugural station located in the capital of Jakarta, and Tegalluar sits in Bandung. The other two stations are located near Indonesia's industrial bases, home to a number of foreign enterprises and industrial parks. 

During a visit, we were captivated by the modern and grand atmosphere of the Tegalluar Station. 

The overall design incorporates fluid curves to channel the elements of mountains and water, symbolizing Indonesia's emphasis on harmonizing development with nature. 

The extensive glass curtain walls reflect the boundless green fields and mountains in the distance, creating a soothing and pleasant ambiance. 

The waiting area at the station includes space for commercial shops and restaurants. The station is equipped with both manned ticket offices and unmanned ticket machines, mirroring the basic configuration of high-speed railway stations in China. 

With a building area of 15,000 square meters, the Tegalluar Station features two platforms and 4-5 railway lines, accommodating up to 1,500 passengers simultaneously, with a peak hourly capacity of 3,200 people. Departing from the station, travelers can easily access the renowned attractions of Bandung, such as the Asian-African Conference Museum and the Bandung Zoo.

During the visit to Tegalluar Station, local residents and employees would occasionally greet us with enthusiastic smiles and thumbs-ups, seemingly expressing their expectations for the railway project and their dreams for a new transportation dawn.

Editor's Note:

Chinese people believe that letters are as valuable as gold. For thousands of years, letters, across mountains and oceans, have been delivering writers' sentiments and conveyed friendship and expectations.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, has managed to find time to reply to some letters from different parts of society and the world despite his busy work schedule.

Through his letters, Xi has corresponded with international friends from all walks of life on numerous occasions, part of a series of excellent stories of China's international exchanges in the new era. The letters have also added vivid color to the diplomacy between China and other countries.

The Global Times traced and contacted some of the recipients of Xi's letters, to hear the inspiring stories behind the letters and their communication with the president.

In this installment, Global Times reporters spoke with the heads of associations that have been actively promoting the development of friendship between the peoples of the two countries, about their past efforts to facilitate exchanges, understanding, and cooperation, as well as their views on current US-China relations.

"President Xi Jinping's reply letter has inspired those in the US who have feelings for China and want the relationship between the two countries to get back on track to move forward courageously," said David Chong, founder and president of the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, when speaking about how the excitement of receiving a letter from the Chinese president transformed into enduring inspiration.

Recently, Chinese President Xi replied to a letter from the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association and friends from all walks of life in Washington State, US and a letter from the grandson of General Joseph W. Stilwell in the US respectively, both receiving positive responses from China and the US as well as the international community. 

Letter after letter from President Xi to his American friends serve as reminders that the peoples of the two countries value each other's friendship, and that the interconnectedness of hearts can cross any barriers, Chong told the Global Times.

In recent years, despite China-US relations reached low ebb, the door to dialog and communication on the Chinese side has remained open, and exchanges and contacts between the Chinese and American people have remained uninterrupted. 

Xi personally has shown that he attaches great importance to the friendship between the peoples of the two countries. "The hope and foundation of the China-US relationship lie in the people, and its future lies in the youths," was Xi's earnest hope expressed in his reply, a hope that Chong bears in mind. 

Chong and like-minded peers look forward to further spreading the importance of promoting the China-US people-to-people friendship, which Xi has constantly emphasized, to promoting mutual understanding between the two countries through more tangible actions, and to letting the seeds of friendship between the two countries be firmly rooted in the hearts of the young generation.

Steadfast light behind dark clouds

In July, the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association and other friendly people from all walks of life in Washington State sent a letter to Xi, expressing their good wishes for China's hosting of the 31st International University Sports Federation Summer World University Games in Chengdu and the Hangzhou Asian Games, while also reaffirming their commitment to continuously enhancing China-US youth cooperation and humanistic exchanges. 

Speaking on the reason for writing the letter, Chong referred to President Xi's remark during his meeting with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, on June 16 this year, where the president stressed that the foundation of China-US relations lies in the people.

 "We have always placed our hope on the American people and wish all the best for the friendship between the two peoples," Xi said.

After seeing this news, Chong immediately shared Xi's views with his friends in Washington State, and they were all in agreement.

"We have found that in recent years, the voices of the American people calling for friendship between the two countries have been suppressed and even muffled. We felt it necessary to send a letter to President Xi, telling him that his friends in Washington State miss him, and at the same time letting our voices be heard by the American public, letting the Chinese people know that there has never been only one voice in the US, and that a lot of the American people expect that the two countries can continue to be friendly," he said.

Ron Chow, co-chairperson of the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, told the Global Times that President Xi's letter is an affirmation and support of their association's efforts to promote youth and student exchanges between the two countries. 

"In fact, this cause is widely supported by the American community," Chow said. 

The Global Times reporter found that the letter led by Chong and Chow to Xi was signed not only by the Secretary of State of Washington State, but also Washington State senators, mayors of Tacoma, Steilacoom and other politicians.

In September 2015, Xi visited Lincoln High School in Tacoma, US. Inside the school auditorium, he enjoyed a choir performance by Chinese and American students. The choir chose to perform a song named "On the Field of Hope," which embodies the Chinese people's faith and love for the future.

Less than a month after Xi's departure, the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association was established.

"We should allow our young people to have more contacts and exchanges to understand each other's cultures and values, especially at a time when some of them are being misled by remarks by certain Western media and politicians, which have created unnecessary suspicions," Chow said.

In July, the association arranged five high school students and one teacher from Steilacoom, Washington State, to participate in the 17th Shanghai International Youth Interactive Friendship Camp. 

Before coming to China, some US parents, influenced by negative public opinion about China, were apprehensive about their children's trip. However, the students returned from China told their families that it was one of the most wonderful summers they had ever spent, and hoped to continue their youth exchange program in China in coming years, Chow said.

From organizing US youth and student visits to China, promoting table tennis exchanges between the two countries, and helping teenagers who were personally affected by the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 to visit Washington State, the US-China Youth and Student Exchange Association has shown commitment to the improvement of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries' youths. 

Looking back on the association's work over the years, Chong and Chow are pleased that the platform which allows for the promotion of sincere exchanges, deepened understanding and building of friendships between US and Chinese youths, has maintained a solid trajectory in the spirit of mutual benefit.

Take steps in same direction

"President Xi has many old friends in the US. Many of our friends have written letters to him, even those whose fathers fought with the Chinese military against fascism in World War II, creating a lifelong friendship. On the other hand, the story of President Xi's relationship with his old friends has also become a great story in US-China relations," Chong said.

On September 12, Xi also replied to a letter from the Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation Jeffrey Greene and Flying Tigers veterans Harry Moyer and Mel McMullen.

In his reply letters to the Flying Tigers' veterans and John Easterbrook, grandson of Stilwell, Xi stressed the fact that China and the US fought side by side against Japanese fascists and for world peace; looking into the future, the two countries have every reason to help each other achieve success and common prosperity.

The Chinese top leader continues to cherish his friends, honor history, and has hope for the next generation, and we cannot afford to sit back and watch the relationship between our two countries be pushed in the wrong direction by people with ulterior motives, Chong said.

In 1985, as Party secretary of Zhengding county in North China's Hebei Province, Xi went to the US on a study tour and met a number of American friends in Muscatine, Iowa. In 2012, when visiting the US as China's vice president, Xi made special arrangements to revisit Muscatine a reunion with his old friends.

 This short stopover displayed the power of people-to-people exchanges. Xi told his old friends, "You were the first group of Americans that I came into contact with. My impression of the country came from you."

"To me, you are America," Xi said.

 When President Xi visited the Lincoln High School in 2015, he surprised 100 students from the school with an invitation to visit China the next year. In 2016, 118 students and teachers from the school visited Chinese cities including Fuzhou, Chengdu, and Beijing. 

On the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year in 2021, the principal of that school sent a letter to Xi stating that over the years, US students' visits to China have been some of the best educational experiences of their lives, and that he looks forward to further strengthening student exchanges and educational cooperation between the two countries in the future, and setting an example through the friendly exchanges between the two countries' peoples.

Chong and Chow believe that with President Xi's concern and inspiration, there will also be more and more people who have full confidence in the bright future of the relationship between China and the US.