From 2015 July 26 to August 6, the 2nd Annual U.S.-China Youth International Culture Festival hosted by Sino-American Friendship Association was held successfully in the U.S. This year, students and teachers from Beijing, Anhui and Sichuan provinces visited three major cities in the U.S. - New York, Washington DC, and Boston, and came to touch with and understand American culture from the perspectives of press and media, politics and education.

The students and teachers first visited the ABC TV Station and observed how the top media professionals in the world worked in the studios. Then they visited the United Nations Headquarters, engaging in deep conversations with UN officials and learning about the functions and operations of the UN and UN General Assembly, which was followed by a visit to the US Department of State Foreign Press Center where they listened to the introduction of the functions and operating situations of the Foreign Press Center and came to understand the necessary expertise and professionalism for journalists. In the following event, our participants visited the office of New York State Assemblyman - Michael Dendekker, who presented a detailed explanation of the profound impact the current media and press have upon American society and offered an introduction of the system of U.S. government. Within their itinerary, the students and teachers also visited Tottenville and Loyola High School and had ardent communication with students there. Moreover, they also paid a visit to famous American universities, including the Harvard University, Columbia University, MIT and West Point Military Academy. By visiting these outstanding universities in person and experiencing what might be a student there, our young participants put more desired universities on their objective lists. What’s also worth mentioning is that they also visited the White House, the U.S. Capitol and Kennedy Center where they gained a deeper understanding of the political and cultural charm of the U.S.

During the visit, our participants not only obtained an insight of American culture from media, political and educational aspects, they also transmitted Chinese cultures to American students and staffs they had communication with during the visit, deepening the understanding and promoting the cultural exchanges between the two countries.