Walking into China, Walking into Beijing: Youth from Snow’s Hometown Visited China for Exchanges

The closing ceremony of the "Chinese Bridge — U.S. Southern Utah University delegation to China" program was recently held at the former residence of Edgar and Helen Foster Snow in Beijing. Young American participants from Utah—the hometown of Helen Foster Snow—traveled to China, visited Beijing, and studied at Beijing Language and Culture University, while also engaging with the historical sites where the Snow couple observed and documented China.

U.S. Southern Utah University delegation to China. (Beijing Language and Culture University)

During the study tour, the participants learned Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University and experienced traditional Chinese culture, including calligraphy and tea art. They also visited multiple historical and cultural landmarks across Beijing, gaining a deeper appreciation of Chinese civilization's rich heritage and the openness and vitality of contemporary China through both classroom learning and field visits. At the closing ceremony, the students delivered presentations in Chinese, showcasing their learning outcomes in China through cultural displays and situational performances.

Beijing Language and Culture University President Duan Peng stated that this journey was not only a language and cultural study program, but also a meaningful exchange practice in which young participants observed China through their own eyes, experienced friendship through their own hearts, and responded to the times with their own efforts. The important legacy of the Snow couple lies in approaching China, understanding China, and presenting China to the world with openness, sincerity, and a commitment to truth.

Helen Foster Snow was born in Cedar City, Utah, which is also the location of Southern Utah University. Nearly a century ago, Edgar and Helen Snow, with the courage of firsthand witnesses and the integrity of chroniclers, introduced to the world a China striving for national independence, people's liberation, and national rejuvenation. In 1965, Edgar Snow visited Beijing Language and Culture University, where he specifically recorded classroom teaching videos for teachers Li Jinghui and Shi Guangheng, leaving behind a valuable record of the early practice of teaching Chinese to the outside world. (Ecns)