US town celebrates Chinese New Year with cultural festivities, renewed friendship

The conference hall of The Merrill Hotel in Muscatine, a small city along the Mississippi River in the US state of Iowa, was decorated with Chinese knots, paper-cuttings and couplets. Each table featured red snake mascots, symbolizing good fortune and festivity.

More than 100 local residents and students gathered on Wednesday morning for an event hosted by the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Snake.

Luca Berrone, who served as a guide and chaperone to Chinese President Xi Jinping and his delegation during their stay in Iowa in 1985, expressed his delight at seeing so many young people participating in the festivities. "We have the opportunity to expose the younger generation to this 40-year relationship between Iowa and China," Berrone said. "I think it's fundamental for the future."

Chinese Consul General Wang Baodong opened his speech with a touch of humor, "My speech was drafted by my colleagues at the Consulate General in Chicago, not by China's AI model DeepSeek." Wang went on to express his hope that DeepSeek and OpenAI will serve as tools to unite, rather than divide, the two peoples.

"We are delighted to celebrate the first Intangible Cultural Heritage Chinese New Year alongside our friends in Iowa and Muscatine," Wang told China Daily. "We hope to spread the joy of Chinese New Year across the vast Midwest and share the values of harmony and goodwill embedded in Chinese culture with American people." He added that such celebrations help pass down the stories of friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding between China and the United States for generations to come.

In November 2023, during the APEC forum in San Francisco, President Xi proposed to invite 50,000 US youths to China over the next five years for exchange and study programs. The initiative is already making strides in fostering cross-cultural connections.

Dan Stein, chairman of the Muscatine-China Initiatives Committee, told China Daily that last year, at least three delegations traveled to China for exchanges, emphasizing the pride of Muscatine High School in being the first school to visit China in January last year following the proposal.

Tony Joseph, a member of the Muscatine-China Initiatives Committee, joined an exchange delegation to China in March, which included 90 students and a total of 101 participants. Reflecting on the experience, he underscored the value of long-term friendships forged through such exchanges.

'Great reunion'

"We asked our students to make at least one friend during their visit. These connections often last a lifetime. Today, I'm reconnecting with friends I met a decade ago. Even though we don't meet on a regular basis, when you see each other, it's a great reunion," he said.

Joseph's involvement in US-China relations dates back to 2012, when Xi revisited Muscatine, a town he had first visited in 1985. Since then, Joseph has witnessed growth in educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

"Over the past 12 years, we've facilitated numerous exchanges involving students, professionals and various groups. This has opened people's minds in Muscatine, fostering a deeper understanding of China's capabilities and opening doors for collaboration both as a country and a city," he said.

Sarah Lande, an old friend of Xi and a key figure in Iowa's relations with China, said the exchange programs are significant for young students "to know each other as friends, colleagues, even competitors".

"They learn to work together and respect each other intellectually," Lande said. "As they move forward in their career, in business or in the government, they will carry these experiences with them, realizing they know how they can do things together."

Regarding her hopes for young people, Lande added: "We don't always agree, but we could learn how to advocate civility, disagree but don't be disagreeable. Let's work together. We have so much in common. Some things are different. That's the way it is. So respect differences. Learn from them. Be curious. Figure out a way to collaborate and live peacefully."

Wednesday's celebration also featured performances by the art troupe from the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China and a string quartet performance of Spring Festival Overture.