Online dialogue between Chinese, U.S. Gen-Zers held in SW China’s Yunnan

The “Generation Z” China-U.S. Youth Dialogue was hosted in Malipo county, southwest China’s Yunnan province on Oct. 18.

The online event, hosted by the China Public Diplomacy Association, offered an opportunity for Chinese and American youngsters to have a deeper understanding of each other.

Over 50 youngsters had a conversation covering a wide range of topics, such as China’s national treasury, American cities that house pandas, as well as the host city of the 2028 Olympic Games.

Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang attended and delivered a speech via video. He noted that a bright future should be made with the capability of understanding and inclusiveness. China and the U.S. are two major countries whose total population adds up to 1.7 billion, and how the two peoples get along with each other concerns the future of the entire human race, he stressed.

Andrew Cap, a young man from the U.S., shared his experience of being an English tutorial in a remote mountainous village in southwest China’s Guizhou province last year.

The young man, who went to the village on vacation from Shenzhen, a metropolis in south China’s Guangdong province, became the most liked tutorial by the local students soon after he arrived there. To build a joyful environment of English learning for the local students was the aim of the optimistic and funny guy.

In order to understand what the students said, he learned Chinese every day and has built a profound relationship with them. After he returned to Shenzhen, he made the experience into a video clip and shared it on social media, which received over 500,000 “likes.”

He said what he saw there were not only the diligence and curiosity of the students, but also the similarities of the youth from both the U.S. and China – optimism and the love for life.

” I honestly think conversations are the key to better relations, because when we really hear each other talk from the heart, we realize no matter what country you come from, we are all human.” said Cap, adding that the young people can accomplish so much more working together.

American high school student Warner Hartnett said China’s profound culture and long history impressed him very much. After learning Chinese, he made many Chinese friends, and he said he was glad to communicate with more Chinese youngsters on this platform. He hoped that the young people from both countries could visit each other after the pandemic.

Joe Cobb, a member of the Roanoke City Council in the U.S. State of Virginia, recalled his visit to China in 2018 when he held a pleasant conversation with the teachers and students in Yunnan province. He said the pandemic has brought challenges to international exchanges, hoping the young generations of the U.S. and China could be committed to their mutual friendship, overcome difficulties and continue developing the friendship between the two countries.

The two countries have different perspectives as they vary in history and culture, but they share many similarities, Qin said, explaining that both of the two peoples aspire for a better life and feel the same human emotions. He remarked that the Chinese and Americans should communicate with and listen to each other based on mutual respect and with an inclusive mindset calling on the youngsters to build a more solid bridge for the friendship between China and the U.S.