Baltimore teenagers visit Xiamen in sister-cities exchange trip

A sister-cities exchange trip for American and Chinese teenagers was organized in Xiamen, Fujian province, from July 26 to 28.

Four teenagers from the US city of Baltimore, together with five young reporters from xmenglish.cn, the city's official English news portal, embarked on the 3-day tour of the city.

During the trip, the students paid visits to local scenic spots including Xiamen University, Zhongshan Road, Kulangsu Island and the Xiamen International Convention & Exhibition Center, where the 2017 BRICS Xiamen Summit was held.

Meanwhile, a series of Chinese arts lessons were offered to the visitors, including traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, drum playing and paper cutting, to help the foreign students better understand Chinese culture.

"I think it's wonderful for Baltimore and Xiamen,” Danny Evans, the teacher in charge of the American students, spoke highly of the exchange trip. “It's a great way to bring the two cities closer, put the two cultures together, to let everyone know we have a lot similarities, and hopefully help our young people become closer.”

Kolby Lewis, a student from the Baltimore delegation, said that Xiamen is a beautiful city and that he likes the food here. He was impressed by this eye-opening trip and profound Chinese culture, and expressed his wish to come back again.

Zheng Benzhen, a Xiamen Foreign Language School student, said it was a great opportunity to make friends with foreign students and learn more about diverse cultures.

According to Ms. Cai Yue’e, an official of the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Xiamen Municipal Government, the exchange trip aims to mutually improve the understanding of Xiamen and Baltimore, the two sister cities, as well as promote communication between the young generation of both countries.

The US city of Baltimore, one of Xiamen's 20 sister cities, became the fourth sister city of Xiamen, Fujian province, on November 7, 1985.