Together for a Better Future

ZHOU LIN

Through visits and exchanges， more students inChina are making friends with their peers abroad，contributing to the bond between their countries.

DURING his state visit to San Franciscoin November 2023， Chinese PresidentXi Jinping announced that 50，000 youngAmericans would be invited to China forexchanges and learning during the following fiveyears. It was a measure to strengthen educationalcooperation between China and the United States and promote friendship between their schools. Healso said the future of China-U.S. relations lies in thehands of the youth. As more American teenagerscome to China， they can see China with their owneyes， listen to Chinese voices with their own ears，and measure Chinas land with their own footsteps.The experience would help them get an accurate，multidimensional and panoramic image of China，so that they can serve as bridges of mutual understandingbetween the two peoples.

“Sisters” for 40 Years。

The Beijing Jingshan School welcomed a specialgroup of foreign guests on April 8 this year.They were a delegation from the two Newton highschools – Newton North High School and NewtonSouth High School in the U.S. During their one-weekstay in China， the visitors interacted with Chineseteachers and students， attended the lessons in theschool and also taught. Two of the delegates tooka history class on the American Civil War， and an English class themed on the identity of Americanimmigrants. Besides， they experienced the charmof traditional Chinese culture， trying their hand atcalligraphy， ink painting， and making handicrafts.

“The two schools have a long history of exchangesand international cooperation，” said Zheng Dan，deputy head of Beijing Jingshan School. They establishedsister-school relations in 1979 and subsequently，communication programs have continued，resulting in a thriving friendship and enrichingcross-cultural communication.

The U.S. delegation included the school superintendentand two principals， who were keen onknowing more about the Chinese schools campusculture， development history， and curriculum sothat they could prepare for a visit by teachers andstudents of the two Newton high schools next year.

Similar educational beliefs contribute to the successof international exchanges. Zheng describedthe schools educational philosophy – “Laying asolid foundation for students all-round developmentand cultivating talents with individuality，”which coincides with the American schools philosophy.Since Beijing Jingshan School students beginto learn English in primary school and are encouragedto read books written in English， they have agood vocabulary， which facilitates communicationand cooperation between the two schools.

Making Friends through Festivals

In order to improve the language proficiency ofboth teachers and students and gain a better understandingof the society and culture of each otherscountry， the annual exchange visits have been extendedfrom one week to four months. In the firsthalf of the year， American teachersand students come to Beijing，and in the second half， Chineseteachers and students reciprocate，so that both sides experience thefestival culture of each other.As more American teenagerscome to China，they can see China withtheir own eyes， listen toChinese voices with theirown ears， and measureChinas land with theirown footsteps.Liu Tao is the head of the highschool English teaching and researchgroup at Beijing JingshanSchool. She went to the UnitedStates on this exchange programin 2003， when she taught Chinese for four months and experienced American culturethrough a family homestay. She said， “There aremany festivals in the United States in the secondhalf of the year， which enable us to have an overallunderstanding of American society and cultural life.”

The community where the two Newton highschools are located is home to a large number ofimmigrants who work as doctors， lawyers， and professors.The family Liu lived with were Jewish. Thecouple， both lawyers， have four children. Liu wasimmersed in an English language environment andwitnessed the lifestyle of young American people.

She taught Chinese in the Newton high schools，and with her peers held Chinese-themed activitiesat local primary schools every week. “All the lessonsand activities were in English， for which we neededto prepare in advance. Our students used props andeven role-playing in their activities，” Liu said.

Knowing about different cultures is important.For example， not all American families celebrateChristmas. Jewish families celebrate Hanukkah， aneight-day festival of lights during winter. “This difference reminded me not to takeanything for granted in culturalexchanges，” Liu said.

“This difference remindedme not to takeanything for granted incultural exchanges，”Liu said. The two-waylearning and communicationgave her muchfood for thought.

The two-way learning andcommunication gave her muchfood for thought. Back in Beijing，she developed an elective course“Jingshan Little Translators” forchildren to serve as interpretersin the schools history museum，act as tour guides， introducescenic spots in Beijing， and writewelcome and farewell speeches.She also set up various scenarios for students togive a three-minute presentation. These activitieshelp students to use English for better communication.

“My teaching philosophy is also changing，” Liusaid. “I have greater tolerance toward students anda better understanding of their personalities. I allowthem to grow in their own way， and I have becomemore confident and composed in my teaching.”

The Bond of Mutual Understanding

On April 9， Beijing Jingshan School welcomedexchange teachers and students from its Australiansister school Scotch Oakburn College， a day andboarding school in Launceston， Tasmania， for childrenfrom early learning to Year 12.

In May 2014， 16 primary school students fromScotch Oakburn College wrote a letter in Chineseto President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan，telling them about the unique flora， fauna， andnatural landscape in their communities and invitingthem to visit Tasmania. Xi replied to their letterpersonally and also met with them during his statevisit to Australia in 2014， where they planted a treetogether. One year later， over 20 Australian teachers，students and their parents were invited to visitChina and their sister school in Beijing.

This April， teachers and students of the schoolrevisited Beijing Jingshan School， where they attendedclasses， participated in symposiums， groupdiscussions， and cultural activities.

Fan Junlin， a ninth-grade student， welcomed hisAustralian learning partner Jack， who stayed withthe Fan family. They went to iconic places in Beijingsuch as Changan Avenue， Beijings Central BusinessDistrict， the Universal Studios， and of course theGreat Wall. Jack called China “a very cool country.”

The Australian visitors loved the Beijing Zoo，where they saw giant pandas and gave a thumbsupto Chinas animal protection work. They alsoexperienced traditional Chinese culture， learnedto write calligraphy， draw traditional Chinese inkpaintings， and savored a tea ceremony and a mealof hot pot.

“Jacks favorite food is Peking Roast Duck andmilk tea. His ink-painting surprised me too！” Fansaid. He was also amazed that the Australian studentswere fans of square dancing， a typical Chineseactivity. “They joined the aunties at the Wangfujinpedestrian street square， dancing Australian-style. Itwas stunning.” he said.

At the farewell party， the Australian studentsthanked their host families for giving them a colorfultour of Beijings famous scenic spots and historicalsites， introducing them to Beijings uniquecuisine， and helping them improve their Chineselanguage skills. The Chinese students cherished the interactions too， saying that they can understandcultural differences better. Their horizon has beenbroadened and their cross-cultural communicationskills have been improved.

Amity between people holds the key to soundstate-to-state relations. The Scotch Oakburn Collegehas started compulsory Chinese classes frompreschool， with elective courses for students abovethe sixth grade. They also opened the first Confuciusclassroom in Tasmania for locals to learnChinese and be acquainted with Chinese culture.As more and more young Australians learn Chineseand understand Chinese culture from a young age，the bond between the two peoples is bound to growstronger.