On June 12th, the 5th 'Dance of Rivers – Youth, Friendship, Dreams' China-US Youth Campus Cultural Exchange event was held at the main auditorium of Jiangsu University. Teen dancers from Utah, USA, performed alongside young performers from Jiangsu University and Zhenjiang Jianghe High School. Using dance as a link and art as a medium, they put on a lively dialogue of youth across the Pacific, continuing a touching chapter of grassroots cultural exchange between China and the US.
This event is hosted by Jiangsu University and the Zhenjiang Federation of Overseas Chinese, and organized by Jiangsu University's Party Committee United Front Work Department, Party Committee Talent Work Department, Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, Youth League Committee, Overseas Education College, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Design and Art, and the Federation of Overseas Chinese. It is co-organized by Zhenjiang Jianghe High School, the China-US Cultural and Artistic Exchange Association, and Zhenjiang Qunxing Cultural Exchange Co., Ltd.
The event was attended by Li Hongbo, Party Secretary of the university; Yang Daojian, Deputy Party Secretary; Zhang Hanshuang, Deputy Director of the Development Planning Department of the Center for Sino-Foreign Humanities Exchange at the Ministry of Education; Zheng Xing, Level-3 Researcher of the Department of Foreign Cooperation and Exchange of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education; Wang Yongxin, Party Secretary and Chair of the Zhenjiang Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; Wang Zhijian, Principal of Zhenjiang Jianghe Senior High School; Lu Zhangping, President of the Pearl S. Buck Society of Zhenjiang; Dong Rongcan, President of the US-China Cultural and Arts Exchange Association; Hu Jian, Level-3 Researcher of the United Front Work Department of Zhenjiang Municipal Committee; Jia Cheng, Deputy Director of the Ethnic, Religious, Overseas Chinese, and Taiwan Affairs Committee (Foreign Affairs Committee) of the Standing Committee of the Zhenjiang Municipal People's Congress; Yan Jun, Deputy Director of the Zhenjiang Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism; Mao Shoujun, Level-3 Researcher of the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Committee of the Zhenjiang CPPCC; and Jiang Wei, Full-time Deputy Chair and Secretary-General of the Zhenjiang Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party.
The performance kicked off in the cheerful atmosphere of the opening short film 'Zootopia.' The Utah Youth Dance Company from the U.S. consecutively presented hip-hop, ballroom, and modern dance pieces like 'Shine Everything,' 'Flame,' 'Sunny Days Again,' and 'Beyond Feeling,' with dynamic moves and lively performances showcasing the energy and enthusiasm of overseas teenagers. Solo performances such as 'Myself' and 'Try Everything' were heartfelt and brilliantly delivered. The dance troupe from Jiangsu University performed the choreography 'Energetic Toes,' full of youthful vigor, highlighting the vitality of contemporary college students; while Zhenjiang Jianghe High School's dance 'Spark of Jinzheng' paid tribute to the spirit of the Long March, showing teenagers' inheritance and passing on of red revolutionary genes. Chinese and American youths shared the stage, deepening understanding and friendship through artistic dialogue.
Highlights from the music, dance, and poetry performance 'Memories of the Yangtze,' created by Professor Dong Rongcan, President of the US-China Cultural and Arts Exchange Association and head of the Design and Arts Department at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, were wonderfully presented during the event. 'This Cold Winter Night' and 'Golden Moments' convey the cultural essence of the Yangtze in a graceful way, while the poetic dialogue 'Poem of the Bridge' vividly interprets the deep meaning of the 'Bridge of Friendship.' The finale, 'Beautiful Days,' performed by all Chinese and American actors together, brought the evening to a thrilling climax.
The Utah Youth Dance Delegation from the United States visited Jiangsu University four times in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2025. This event, themed 'Youth, Friendship, Dreams,' paid tribute to history and continued friendship through dance, vividly showcasing the passing down of people-to-people cultural exchanges between China and the U.S.
Chinese and American teenagers held a cultural exchange dialogue under the theme 'Both Ends of the Bridge: From Pearl S. Buck's Cross-Cultural Writing to the Commonalities and Connections of Contemporary Chinese and American Teenagers.' Participants, including guests, teachers, and students, had in-depth discussions on the topic, and through these exchanges, the teenagers gained a deeper understanding of each other's cultures. (Designed by the Party Committee United Front Work Department, Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges, Humanities and Social Sciences Department, and School of Design and Arts)
