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The fifth edition of the "My China Album" video series, jointly produced by the Chinese embassy in the US, the Chinese consulates general in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, and China Daily, is a vivid portrayal of Sino-US relations.
Themed "My Impressions of China - 100 Stories of China-US Friendship", the series comprises 12 episodes that capture the heartwarming moments and memories of people-to-people friendship, showcasing the profound bonds and historic interactions between the peoples of the two nations.
As a bridge of emotional communication, people-to-people exchanges are crucial to enhancing mutual understanding and trust between countries. Looking back, such exchanges and interactions between China and the United States have never been interrupted, and the stories of China-US cooperation have become more vivid from generation to generation. Themed "My Impressions of China - 100 Stories of China-US Friendship", the fifth edition of the "My China Album" video series comprises 12 episodes from the perspectives of music, film, tea, kung fu, animal protection and more, recording the important moments and touching exchanges between China and the United States and demonstrating the interactions and profound friendship between the two peoples.
China and the United States have only the responsibility to jointly uphold peace, and no single reason to incite confrontation, Beijing's top envoy in Washington said on Thursday.
"China is willing to be a friend and partner of the United States," said Ambassador Xie Feng. "In the era of war, we fought side by side; in the era of peace, we should also be each other's partner."
The ambassador made the remarks at the "My China Album: Sharing Our Stories About China" event at the embassy, attended by more than 200 guests, including Harry Moyer, a Flying Tigers veteran, now age 103.
During World War II, Captain Moyer fought shoulder to shoulder with Chinese soldiers to defend against invading Japanese forces.
Xie said that the foundation of the China-US relationship was laid by the two peoples, and its future will be created by them.
"Currently, China-US relations are still facing serious challenges. We need to forge a closer bond between our peoples and open our hearts to each other, so as to inject more warmth and impetus into this relationship," he said.
Since its start in 2019, the "My China Album" video series has rolled out five editions, with the fifth featuring stories of Moyer; Ambassador Winston Lord, a member of the US delegation on the historic trip to China in 1972, and other Americans in 12 video episodes, collectively themed around "My Impressions of China-100 Stories of China-US Friendship".
They capture the heartwarming moments and memories of people-to-people friendship, showcasing the historic interactions and profound bonds between the peoples of the two nations.
Xie noted that such stories have shown once and again that the two peoples can forge a profound friendship despite all the differences in system, culture and language.
He said that it is important to develop a right perception toward each other, and be friends rather than rivals.
"Seeing the other as a primary strategic competitor, the most consequential geopolitical challenge and a pacing threat, in disregard of our peoples' will for exchanges and cooperation and the world's expectation for a stable China-US relationship, would only push our two countries toward antagonism, plunge the world into division and turmoil, and ultimately lead to ‘self-fulfilling prophesies,'" he said.
The envoy also said it is important to stay undistracted by domestic politics and avoid creating new hurdles for China-US relations.
He said that while China will not interfere in US domestic affairs, including its presidential election, it also firmly opposes any attempt to manipulate China-related issues, exploit China-US relations, and damage China's interests during the election.
In his first comment on Washington's latest round of tariffs imposed on electric vehicles and other Chinese imports two days ago, Xie said the move was driven by domestic politics.
"This is protectionism in the name of fair competition. The real aim is to contain China's new energy sectors, hamper China's high-quality development, and get advantage in the elections by competing to be tougher on China," he said.
The launch of the "My China Album" event serves to amplify the crucial role that people-to-people exchanges have been playing in enhancing China-US relations, said Qu Yingpu, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily.
Over the past five years, China Daily has been a partner of "My China Album", focusing on stories of China-US friendship, of endearment and goodwill, and reciprocal kindness between the two peoples, Qu said in a video speech.
For example, the 2019 edition focused on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, and in the following year, it featured the Chinese and American peoples helping each other combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the "album" captured the beauty of sports featuring the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and the 50th anniversary of giant pandas in America became the most popular theme in 2022.
"We believe stories of this kind are monumental and worthy of being recorded and retold," said Qu.
"The more we have explored the domain of China-US people-to-people exchanges, the more deeply we feel obligated and duty bound as China's national English-language news media. We are more committed now," he said.
Steve Blake, chief representative for environmental group WildAid China, said the "China Album" project offers a "really great" opportunity for people like him to tell a story about China.
"There's so much you hear in the news about challenges between the US and China, but there's millions of people just like me that have a personal story to tell, that our lives have been changed by our experience, whether we're Chinese people in America or Americans like myself in China," he said.
Blake said he had a lot of fond memories of China that he likes to share.
"So I'm really happy to be here today to be a part of something that connects our two countries more," he said.
The fifth edition of "My China Album" was jointly produced by the Chinese embassy in the US, the Chinese consulates general in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, and China Daily.
The awards ceremony and story-sharing event for the fifth edition of "My China Album" was held Thursday at the Chinese embassy in Washington DC. As one of the 17 winners, John Smagula, the assistant dean of the law school at Temple University in Philadelphia, said that tea culture can enhance China-US relations. Here is what else he had to say.
The Chinese embassy in the US hosted the fifth My China Album Award Ceremony and Story Sharing Event on Thursday. Joshua Chiatovich, a kung fu practitioner, was one of the 17 honorees. He said, "I think that events like this need to happen more and more. I think that America and China, my personal belief is that the thing that connects people is culture."
The awards ceremony and story-sharing event for the fifth edition of "My China Album" was held Thursday at the Chinese embassy in Washington DC. As one of the 17 winners, Steve Blake, who is enthusiastic about China's environmental protection efforts, said that "(this event) connects our two countries more."
Here is what else he had to say.
The fifth edition of "My China Album", which features 12 video episodes collectively themed around "My Impressions of China-100 Stories of China-US Friendship", will be celebrated on Thursday at the Chinese embassy in the United States.
Highlighting people-to-people exchanges over the years, the video collection reveals heartwarming anecdotes, captures moments of historical significance, and tells tearjerking stories of wartime comradeship.
There are retrospective stories.
A story based in Kuliang traces footprints of an American family, detailing how four generations initiated, cultivated, safeguarded and nurtured a profound respect for and understanding of China, its culture and people.
Davyd Booth, a violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra who was in the troupe during its historic visit to China in 1973, considers music a powerful adhesive that has strongly connected the Chinese and American peoples. He believes the two countries "should become not just friends but great friends".
Harry Moyer, 103, is a Flying Tigers veteran. During World War II, he fought shoulder to shoulder with Chinese soldiers to defend against invading Japanese forces. China never forgets American friends and their devotion, Moyer said, because Chinese people are practitioners of, "A drop of water given in need shall be returned with a burst of spring".
A family in Muscatine, Iowa, shares firsthand information about hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping in the 1980s, which led to an enduring friendship of 40 years. When members of an American household opened their doors to a Chinese visitor with hospitality, they sowed the seed of goodwill and kindness, which later blossomed into a much-told tale praised far and wide.
There are stories depicting young generations and their cross-border collaborations.
Students at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, have made many tours across China. With their Chinese counterparts, they visited scenic spots, tasted authentic delicacies, learned calligraphy, listened to operas and shot hoops.
More importantly, the youth of both nations realized the necessity and urgency of being open-minded, understanding and respectful of cultures other than their own.
There are stories documenting ongoing scientific cooperation.
Chinese and American scientists since the 1990s have engaged in extensive collaboration in various fields, including wild panda ecology, genetic structure, monitoring techniques, captive breeding and disease prevention and control.
Experts from the National Zoo in Washington and the San Diego Zoo participated in giant panda conservation and research.
It's always important to promote such exchanges, more than ever, said Winston Lord, an American diplomat and US ambassador to China in the late 1980s.
"'My China Album' and programs like that are needed now to increase understanding and relationships between our two peoples," he said.
The fifth season of the "My China Album" is jointly produced by the Chinese embassy in the US, the Chinese consulates general in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, and China Daily.
Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. Experts from the National Zoo in Washington and the San Diego Zoo were recently interviewed by China Daily. They witnessed that over the years, Chinese and American scientists have worked together to achieve fruitful accomplishment in giant panda conservation cooperation and research.
Steve Blake was born in Oklahoma, US, and he has lived in China for more than 17 years and actively involved in China's environmental and animal protection causes. Blake told China Daily that he has witnessed the huge amount of resources and manpower China has invested in environmental governance and animal protection, as well as the fruitful results achieved.
Blake said that his career and life experience in China shaped who he is now, and he hopes to help promote mutual understanding between the Chinese and American people, which he believes is needed the most now.
John Li, a Chinese American youth, has harbored a profound interest in photography since his childhood. Throughout his growth, he has consistently used his camera to explore and document the world around him. His lens serves as a bridge, ingeniously transforming plots from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds into stories that evoke emotional resonance. Li told China Daily in a recent interview that storytelling through film transcends national and linguistic barriers, conveying universal emotions that connect people from different countries.
Winston Lord is an American diplomat and US ambassador to China in the late 1980s. In 1972, he followed then-US president Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, assistant to the US president for national security affairs, to pay a historic visit to China and became the only American witness to the meeting with Chairman Mao besides Nixon and Kissinger.
Over the years, Lord has witnessed and participated in the development of US-China relations. He recently told China Daily that the bilateral relations are about global stability and prosperity, and the two countries should strengthen cooperation for the benefit of each other and the world.
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The story of Kuliang embodies the friendship and caring between the Chinese and American people. "It's (about) peace, friendship, love, understanding and respect," Elyn Maclnnis, researcher and expert on Kuliang's history and culture, said in a recent interview with China Daily as she recalled her family's four generations of love for China. Kuliang is located on the outskirts of Fuzhou, in East China's Fujian province. Since the 1880s, many Western expatriates, including missionaries, doctors and businesspeople, have gone to live in Kuliang. They formed a deep friendship with local residents.
Watch the "My China Album" video series to understand the friendship and historical interaction between the peoples of China and the United States!
A modest house in Muscatine, Iowa, serves to tell a heartwarming story spanning almost four decades — that of the enduring friendship between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the people of the Midwestern city. Explore the enduring bonds – from a modest 1985 visit to a recent reunion in San Francisco – that inspired President Xi to invite 50,000 American youths to China, shaping the future of Sino-American relations.
During World War II, US General Claire Lee Chennault of the Army Air Corps led American volunteers in an effort to fortify China's resistance, forming the renowned Flying Tigers. Chennault trained both Chinese and American pilots, who fought side by side against the Japanese invaders. Together, the flyers made vital contributions to the victory in World War II.
President Xi Jinping remarked, "The Chinese people never forget the Flying Tigers."
Join us in this video to revisit the legendary story written in the blood and sacrifice of the peoples of China and the United States.
The story about Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, is themed around youth exchanges and collaboration between China and the United States. When President Xi Jinping visited the school in 2015, he extended an invitation to 100 Lincoln High students to visit China. In 2016, the first group from the high school took an 11-day trip to China, a prelude to a robust, continuous friendship between the young generations.
Recently, two American Chinese-language enthusiasts shared their stories with China Daily about learning Chinese and participating in the "Chinese Bridge" competition in China. Kaia Bursell, a seventh grader in Minnesota, aspires to be a communicator, disseminator and a future bridge between Chinese and American cultures. Brendan Bakker, a college student in Utah, motivates himself to learn Chinese with the belief that "where there's a will, there's a way". Their stories illuminate the limitless potential and passion of the younger generation in learning Chinese and in facilitating Sino-American cultural exchange.
At the top of Emei Mountain and beyond, the fog-covered peaks below unfold like pages of a book.
Emei Mountain, in Sichuan province, has been a historic hub for martial arts training and competition due to its treacherous terrain. Over time, martial artists have gathered there for exchanges and sparring, making it a significant venue for martial arts competitions.
In August 2023, Emei's Golden Summit Temple shone in the summer sunlight. A young man from Michigan set foot on the summit of the mountain. After decades of martial arts training, he said he stood where his dreams had led him.
"Being a martial artist and competing against the best martial artists in the world on Emei Mountain is the dream. It's a fantasy," said Joshua Chiatovich, who organized the USA team to participate in the ninth World Kungfu Championships in Sichuan, China.
Chiatovich, an author and a Chinese martial arts teacher at a martial arts club in Detroit, has been practicing kung fu for decades. He now instructs students, mostly Chinese Americans, in the practice of kung fu.
Stretching his hands to mimic the movements of a mantis in combat, and with fingers curved like sharp claws, Chiatovich demonstrated his own style of Praying Mantis boxing at the competition.
There he met someone who practiced Six Harmonies Praying Mantis. They argued about Chiatovich's style, Baiji Mantis. The man said there's no such thing. Chiatovich said his grandmaster mixed Baiji and Mantis for more power and speed.
The argument seemed like a scene from Chiatovich's kung fu novel, The Baiji Mantis, published in July 2023.
It is a martial arts fantasy, based in ancient China, about a young praying mantis, whose obsession with the human world leads him on a journey of adventure, discovery and kung fu, Chiatovich said.
Chiatovich didn't feel alone while he was in China, as the three mantis characters accompanied him on the trip: Wu Liang, Xu Pang, and Xiaoxiao. The martial arts trip to China has given him much inspiration to continue the story of the three mantises, which will be a trilogy, he said.
The Baiji Mantis story begins with a young mantis age 9, and readers will witness him growing up to 18. "It's kind of like the lessons they learn and the growth that they undergo because it's a coming of age story," he said.
Chiatovich was "shocked" with the Western audience he gained from the book.
"The audience I'm gaining in the West has no knowledge of China; they've never been to China; they don't speak Chinese. And they know almost nothing about Chinese culture," he said.
"A lot of the reviews I'm reading have people saying, "I'm accidentally teaching them about Chinese culture, and they're learning about Chinese martial arts and culture seamlessly through the story. So those things make me really happy when I read that," he said.
Chiatovich's kung fu dreams began at the age of 8. One night he stumbled on an old kung fu movie on Channel 20 in metro Detroit. It happened to be Drunken Master, and that was his first kung fu film.
"It changed my life, introducing me to kung fu, Jackie Chan, and the idea of China. From that moment, my dream of practicing kung fu and moving to China began," he said.
After graduating from Eastern Michigan University, Chiatovich traveled to China to study Chinese culture and philosophy at Xiamen University, where he lived for four years. That was "the best time of my life", he said.
After returning to his hometown of Detroit, he began promoting Chinese martial arts and traditional festivals, such as the Chinese New Year, to publicize traditional Chinese culture.
"Every time I'm in China, I feel I'm living my dream, and I will be traveling back and forth the rest of my life," said Chiatovich, who is also the chief communications officer of the Detroit Chinatown Group.
Follow the remarkable journeys of Li Ning (Clint Liddick) and Zijun Qiao (Josh Chiatovich), who are driven by their shared passion for Chinese martial arts. Li's dedication to kung fu and immersion in Chinese culture in San Jose, California, and Zijun's transformative experience from Detroit to China exemplify the power of cultural exchange.
John Smagula, the assistant dean of the law school at Temple University in Philadelphia, is a China hand who has studied Chinese for 30 years and loves Chinese tea culture. "Tea is an incredible cultural ambassador," he said in a recent interview with China Daily. "It represents so much about China." He says tea culture reduces the distance between people and promotes friendship and cooperation.
Music has strongly connected Chinese and American people, and the two countries should "become not just friends but great friends", Davyd Booth, a violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, told China Daily in a recent interview. He reflected on 50 years of friendship with China, and the Philadelphia Orchestra's historic visit to China in 1973.
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