LETTERS

Your comments are welcome！

Please feel free to contact us with your personal stories or vivid pictures！

Address： 24 Baiwanzhuang St.， Xicheng Dist.， Beijing， 100037

E-mail： chinatodaynews@aliyun.com

I am a professor at Minzu Universityof China and a writer andcountry musician who sees Chinaas the second homeland. My storywith China started in the city ofHuai’an， Jiangsu Province， whereI served as an English teacher.Then， I moved to Beijing in 2007，teaching at Minzu University ofChina， where nearly 50 percent ofundergraduate students are fromnon-Han ethnic groups. Han，the largest ethnic group， makesup over 90 percent of China'svast population. During my stayin China， I traveled around thecountry， and the journeys gaveme constant inspiration to writenew songs. With over 80 heartfeltsongs penned about China，I see it as my mission to createa bridge between China and theU.S. through the power of music.I like reading articles in theTourism column of China Today ，for example， “The Old Town ofLijiang” and “Xishuangbanna：A Tropical Rainforest of RichBiodiversity.” Yunnan is one ofthe most favorable places I wouldlike to visit. The old town of Lijiangwas built on a plateau plainat the foot of Yulong Mountains.From anywhere in the town，residents can look up and see theimposing facades of surroundingmountains. The town epitomizesthe great achievements of ancientChinese cities， highlighting aunique style of traditional dwellingsin Yunnan. Meanwhile，Xishuangbanna is a green worldthat boasts numerous tropicalwonders and fosters a harmoniousbond between nature and humanbeings. The wild Asian elephantherd that attracted global attentionon the Internet comes fromYunnan’s Wild Elephant Valley.Every year， more than one million"tourists come to see the wildelephants， and I was lucky to beone of them. I hope more Americanscome to see China withtheir own eyes. The experiencewould be a valuable memory intheir lives and help them to serveas bridges of mutual understandingbetween the two peoples.

Mark Levine

U.S.A.

I am an exchange studentnow studying at Beijing NormalUniversity. I often find that myChinese lessons are very demandingyet rewarding. My shortstay in Beijing of around eightweeks is actually an opportunitygiven by a Chinese governmentplan to allow 50，000 youngAmerican exchange students tovisit the country. In China Today’s June issue， an article titled“Together for a Better Future”told the story of exchanges aboutteachers and students betweenBeijing Jingshan School andNewton North High School andNewton South High School inthe U.S. Like us， those exchangestudents experienced the charmof traditional Chinese culture，trying their hand at calligraphy，ink painting， and making handicrafts.It is impressive that theyeven got to exhibit the Chinesecalligraphy， which says， “It issuch a delight to have friendscome from afar.” The future ofChina-U.S. relations lies in thehands of the youth. The experiencewill really help us get anaccurate， multidimensional andpanoramic image of China，which can lead to a thrivingfriendship and enriching morecross-cultural communications.

Eddie Hayward

U.S.A.