On the morning of June 22, the "Discover Jiangsu - American Youth Exchange Program", sponsored by the Jiangsu Education Department and organized by Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA), was successfully held at the Art Museum of NUA. A total of 57 American teachers and students from four high schools in Pennsylvania and Delaware visited NUA. The International Exchange and Cooperation Office organized and arranged the exchange program, and teachers and students from the School of Calligraphy and Fine Arts, the School of Music, the School of Design, and the School of Dance provided the American teachers and students with a rich Chinese cultural and artistic experience. Zhang Jie, Vice President of NUA attended the event.

On behalf of the university, Zhang Jie warmly welcomed the visiting American teachers and students. She pointed out that NUA is a comprehensive university with a long history in the arts. At NUA, they could experience representative aspects of Chinese cultural arts, including traditional musical instruments, ethnic dance, calligraphy, painting, and traditional crafts. She expressed hope that through the subsequent mini-classes and interactive experience projects, they would gain a more comprehensive, three-dimensional, and authentic understanding of Chinese culture and promote thecultural exchange and friendship between China and the United States. She also welcomed them to study at NUA in the future and become part of the NUA family.

During the event, the American teachers and students first enjoyed the Guzheng piece Drunken Moon in Jinling, composed by ourprofessor Ren Jie, experiencing the enchanting legend of "catching the moon in the Qinhuai River" by the ancient Chinese poet Li Bai. After the performance, the thunderous applause reflected the appreciation of Chinese culture among the teachers and students. "The wind rustles gently, willows sway gracefully; whose maiden is so enchanting, causing the green forest to hold its breath..." Following this, during the performance of the Kunqu Dance (group dance) Beauty in the Forest, the American teachers and students not only appreciated the exquisite Kunqu Dance but also learned Kunqu Dance techniques themselves. They felt the importance of "ideation" in shaping characters within the Kunqu Dance language system and understood the aesthetic standards of the "Twenty-One-Word Maxim" of Kunqu Dance. Next, the American teachers and students experienced China’s ancient hand-dyeing techniques. Every step, from handling the fabric, thread and rope, to tying, binding and clipping, demonstrated the inheritance and reverence for Chinese traditional culture. In addition, they practiced Chinese calligraphy, becoming acquainted with the "Four Treasures of the Study" - brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and wrote their favorite Chinese characters. The activities proceeded in an orderly manner amidst laughter and joy, and Chinese and American teachers and students reluctantly said goodbye after taking group photos. The American teachers and students expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality of NUA, and stated that the Chinese cultural and artistic program they experienced at our university opened a unique window for them to understand China, allowing them to see a different beautiful landscape. Many American youths even expressed on-site their willingness to study at NUA in the future to deeply learn and understand Chinese culture.

The "Discover Jiangsu - American Youth Exchange Program" is organized by the Jiangsu Education Department to implement the major initiative proposed by Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party , during his visit to the United States, which aims to invite 50,000 American young people to China for exchange and study in the next five years.Our university is honored to host this event and will continue to deeply cultivate the cultural enterprise of nurturing roots and forging souls. We will wholeheartedly, diligently, and passionately tell the Chinese story, actively promote Sino-American cultural and artistic exchanges, and contribute to creating a new situation of cultural integration and mutual understanding among people worldwide, making the garden of world civilizations vibrant and flourishing.