BEIJING: A two-week cultural exchange program bringing together American and Chinese university students is currently underway in Hengshui, North China’s Hebei province, with participants sharing that shared meals, dialect lessons, and face-to-face conversations are forging deep bonds that social media alone could never replicate. The third “Friendship of HSU and UCM in Summer” program, which runs from May 12 to 24, has brought 12 students and faculty members from the University of Central Missouri (UCM) to collaborate with their peers at Hengshui University.
So far, the group has visited Hengshui Lake wetland reserve for talks on ecological protection, explored the ancient city of Jizhou, the Grand Canal cultural tourism area, and the former residence of philosopher Dong Zhongshu (179-104 BC).
They have also toured a distillery museum and taken part in joint classes, participated in traditional Chinese painting workshops, and attended academic seminars. Later this week, the American visitors will travel to Beijing to climb the Badaling section of the Great Wall and tour the Forbidden City.
For UCM student Terry Abigail Reanna, a dumpling-making session proved to be an unexpected highlight. After a Chinese classmate patiently taught her how to fold the dough and after she took a bite of the steaming dumplings, she declared them “the best dumplings I have ever eaten” and happily ate seven or eight in a row, drawing laughter from the group.
Another American student, Hines Monterica Monea, became fascinated with the local Hengshui dialect. She eagerly repeated phrases for “last night” and “warm,” impressing her Chinese peers with her earnest pronunciation. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
