‘Music can transcend differences,’ US and Chinese youth choirs exchange songs, gifts and blessings

The American One Voice Children's Choir, whose heartfelt performance of Chinese ballad “As Your Wish” touched the hearts of millions of Chinese this January, visited Fuzhou No. 16 Middle School on Friday in Fuzhou, East China’s Fujian Province, where Chinese and American students bonded over China's intangible cultural heritage and exchanged songs and gifts. Youths from both sides told the Global Times that they believe music can transcend differences, that they will never forget such a memorable experience, and expect to see more such China-US collaborations in the future.

Together they tried their hands at traditional crafts including lacquer fans, cork carvings, ink wash painting, oil-paper umbrellas, and jasmine flower art. Under the guidance of Chinese peers, the young American visitors expressed deep fascination with these cultural treasures.

At the fan painting session, a member of the One Voice choir completed an expressive ink bamboo landscape in traditional Chinese style. She told the Global Times that "I think it conveys friendship. Because we did it together, me and my friend. He did this one and then I did this one. And they're growing together. It's a symbol of friendship.”

During the campus visit in Fuzhou, the One Voice choir and Fuzhou No. 16 Middle School's Yuying choir exchanged performances. 

"If you have ever suffered for my sweetness, I am willing to live as your wish. May it not be in vain, may we move forward bravely, in this prosperous world every day..." The chorus of As Your Wish resonated at the auditorium, as the Chinese and American students held hands while forming a circle. The auditorium erupted in cheers and thunderous applause, with many students moved to tears by this heartfelt cross-cultural connection.

As the campus tour wrapped up, Yuying choir exchanged gifts with the One Voice choir, such as pens and notebooks, Chinese paintings and jasmine flower tea.

Fuzhou No. 16 Middle School’s deep bond with American institutions dates back to some 166 years ago. In 1859, the Methodist Episcopal Church founded Yuying Girls' Boarding School- the first women's missionary school in East Asia and laid the cornerstone of what is now the Fuzhou No. 16 Middle School. 166 years later, those roots still grow strong. In its early days, American educators led this school; later, Chinese principals like Lan Xingqiu, educated at Columbia University, carried that legacy forward, Global Times learned from the school. 

The One Voice Children's Choir, from Utah, the US, is made up of a group of children who met while singing at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. This tour marks One Voice's return to China after 2023, with performances in cities such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Beijing.

The choir performed the Chinese song "As Your Wish" at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing with the video of this performance going viral on social media and garnering over 1 million likes. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that the huge popularity of this video shows once again that more people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the US are what the people want and support. 

In November 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in San Francisco that China is ready to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the next five years. Under this initiative, a total of over 16,000 young Americans have been to China on exchange and study programs in 2024. They made new friends, learned a new language, experienced the Chinese culture, and had a glimpse of a modern China, Guo said.