A reception was held to welcome a delegation of American youth in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, on Tuesday by the Guangdong People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
Guests at the reception pose for a picture. (Photo: Pan Jiajun/GDToday)
The delegation of the Young People's Chorus of New York City (YPC) embarked on a tour of Guangdong province on October 5 in Shenzhen and has continued their exchanges with the local teenagers and experiences of Chinese culture in Guangzhou and Zhuhai, where they will hold joint chorus performances with the local student choirs.
Chen Guangjun, Vice President of the Guangdong People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (GDPAFFC), noted the significance of YPC's visit while addressing the audience, as it coincides with the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US.
He elaborated that YPC's visit was facilitated by the GDPAFFC, Guangdong Experimental High School, as well as the Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai people's associations for friendship with foreign countries, following China's initiative to invite 50,000 young people from the US to visit the country over the next five years.
Chen further stressed the vast potential for win-win cooperation between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), which is home to over 80 million people with a combined regional GDP of 13.6 trillion RMB, and the New York Bay Area. "The GBA is one of the most economically vibrant regions in China with high-standard opening up. It also boasts a rich cultural heritage, particularly Chinese Kung Fu."
YPC members experience shrimp dumpling making, a traditional Cantonese dim sum, during the reception. (Photo: Pan Jiajun/GDToday)
As the co-organizer of the visit, Quan Hanyan, Party Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Experimental High School Committee, said that the school has always been committed to promoting exchanges and cooperation among international youth since its foundation 100 years ago, based on the preparatory school for the first batch of young children sent by the Qing Dynasty to the U.S.
As the school is set to celebrate its 100th anniversary in November, it will continue to promote cultural and educational exchanges between Chinese and American youths, Quan noted.
Francisco Núñez, YPC founder and artistic director, said that the exchanges and cooperation between YPC and the Guangdong Experimental High School Choir are "to create a symphony of friendship and understanding."
"This collaboration is a testament to the commitment of our educational institutions to prepare the next generation for a future filled with promise and positivity," Núñez added.
During the reception, members of the YPC delegation received panda backpacks as gifts. "I love pandas so much! I'll use this for school so that I can tell everyone I went to China and show it off. It'll be fun," Betty Ince, a YPC member, told GDToday.
YPC members pose for a picture with panda backpacks during the reception. (Photo: Pan Jiajun/GDToday)
In the following days, the YPC delegation will perform at the 2024 Global Bay Areas Chorus Bridge Guangzhou Concert, together with the Guangdong Experimental High School Choir, and tour the city of Guangzhou before leaving for Zhuhai on October 11, 2024.
Reporter | Lydia Liu, Steven Yuen
Photographer | Pan Jiajun
Editor | Nina Huang, James
