chinainstituteylc2024

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Youth Leadership in China 2024 Wrap-up Video

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On July 26, 2024, all of our YLC2024 participants attended the closing ceremony, hosted at the East China Normal University. A certificate of participation of 2024 YES (Young Envoys Scholarship) was presented by distinguished guests including Mr. Jun Yang, Secretary General of China Education Association for International Exchange, and Mr. Yong Zhou, Deputy Director, International Office of ECNU.

On behalf of YLC2024, 7 students reported at the closing ceremony:

Nora Nickolov, the Nueva School

Calvin Zhou, Brooklyn Technical High School

Raphaelle Eckhardt, NEST+m

Alex Huang, Jenks High School

Dashiell Larmer-Beech, Bard High School Early College

Yifan Zhang, High School for Environmental Studies

Rebecca Wong, Brooklyn Technical High School

With all 37 students successfully completed and departed from the program, it is our belief that YLC2024 made a lasting, transformative impact. Our deep appreciation goes to CEAIE, ECNU, Chengdu Jiaxiang School, and other schools we visited in China, as well as our amazing chaperon teachers!

Looking forward to next summer!

Should you have inquiries about China Institute's Youth Leadership in China program, please contact:

ylc@chinainstitute.org

Photo: CEAIE

Text: Shenzhan Liao, SVP, Education, China Institute in America

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YLC 2024 Day 13, Saturday, July 27

As we leave China on this quiet day, I especially dwell upon the feelings and heartfelt thoughts that were developed on this trip. When I think of the calm yet heavy moments from this trip, I immediately think of one particular day. On Day 10, July 14th, we flew from Chengdu to Shanghai. Boarding around 3 PM (Beijing time), the 2 hour and 10 minute flight was peaceful as we got a chance to relax. The star of the day though, was enjoying the Zhang Garden at night. The lights and nature were absolutely stunning. The photo is just a small representation of the mood the whole garden and trip created. This has been such an amazing experience and incredible opportunity. I felt enriched by the Zhang Garden and all of China’s beauty throughout this journey. In my heart, I leave China with the passion for discovery of Chinese art, communication and culture. The relationships I formed with myself and others will continue to inspire in ways nothing else will be able to.

Text and Photo Credit: Bridget Keenan, BSGE

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YLC 2024 Day 12, Friday, July 26

Today in Shanghai, we visited the Bund, a road next to the Huangpu river. The view was amazing. Across the river you could see the TV tower and the Shanghai tower, the second tallest building in the world and the first tallest in china. At night, the buildings light up to create a special and very unique night sky.

Text and Photo Credit：Nitta Spencer , BSGE

I think this picture perfectly captures Shanghai’s unique architecture and its influence as a global city. It highlights the juxtaposition between Shanghai’s deep history involving European occupation and its impressive modern developments in the form of architecture. The bright lights and fast moving traffic both demonstrate the cities incredible development and its vibrant culture, both of which I find impressive.

Text and Photo Credit: Alex Wang，Brooklyn Technical High School

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YLC 2024 Day 11, Thursday, July 25

This is a photo of a video from the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. The video showcased what architects want Shanghai to look like in future years, all in 2D form. It was very impressive to see how much architects want to achieve in the near future. I felt like I was physically walking through the streets of Shanghai while gathering new information.

Text and Photo Credit: Kendall Fohn，Lee's Summit West High School

Today we got to see the frighteningly high, yet enthralling view from the Shanghai tower. I found it fascinating to compare the modern city of Shanghai to my home, New York City. At a glance you might think the waterfronts look the same, however there is much nuance to see in the details. The way these two cities uniquely evolved and grew was very different and it shows. Shanghai’s densely packed sky scrapers that seem to go on forever clearly distinguish it from any other place in the world. Additionally, we got to visit the Shanghai Urban Development Museum. It was fascinating to see the history behind this historic, yet still evolving city. It was also amazing to see their incredibly ambitious and thoughtful plans for the future. I thought their plans to expand into the ground were especially interesting. After all we saw today is very clear that the growth of Shanghai is not stopping anytime soon!

Text and Photo Credit：Micah Killmer ，NEST+M

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YLC 2024 Day 10, Wednesday, July 24

On our last day in Cheng Du, we got to go to the cuisine museum! We got to be hands on and cook some of our own dishes with the help of professional chefs. We also enjoyed lunch at the museum. It was a great activity to end our stay in Cheng Du!

Text and Photo Credit: Ella Small, NEST+M

Though we ate delicious Sichuan cuisine meals throughout our trip in Chengdu, we never fully appreciated the intricate work and detail that goes into crafting every single dish. Today, we stepped into the shoes of a chef and crafted panda dough balls with red bean filling and steamed beef with pumpkin. We used a variety of spices, sauces, and had a great time hand-making everything!

Text and Photo Credit: Eugene Koval, Brooklyn Technical High School

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YLC 2024 Day 9, Tuesday, July 23

In one photo, a million memories are being made. At our last dinner in Chengdu, we exchanged gifts with our host families, bonded with our peers, and watched stunning performances. Every person in this photo is like a thread on the tapestry, beautiful in their own way, uniting the ends with each stitch. And put together, we can see the beauty in what we have created.

Text and Photo Credit: Casey Guan, Staten Island Technical High School

Today we went to the Panda Base in Chengdu to visit a special animal. The Giant Panda known for being lazy and eating bamboo is a popular but almost extinct attraction. We enjoyed seeing them, especially me since it was the first time seeing one in ten years. After this, we went to a museum in Chengdu to learn about the city's history. I found it to be very informative and it presented a fascinating perspective on how the city developed over the years.

Text and Photo Credit: Julian Cancio, NEST+M

This was a photo I took during the Chengdu Museum tour. I chose it because I thought the art style was very cool and unique. I also liked how the hairs on the old man’s face is very long

Text and Photo Credit: Tammy Tang, Brooklyn Technical High School

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YLC 2024 Day 8,Monday, July 22

It is our big working day for the Youth Forum. All 37 students participated with their well-prepared presentations for 4 roundtable discussions: Tech+Future; Our Place, Our Home; People and Culturd; Action! Over 20 Chinese students and 8 students from Chicago also joined the forum for a morning of engaging discussions. Nothing is more meaningful than get the young people of both U.S. and China together and share their thoughts, concerns and understanding of each other face to face.

The students really made us proud!

Photo credit: CEAIE Text credit: Shenzhan Liao, China Institute in America

…Thinking back to the past few weeks, I would have never imagined that I would be standing up here in this hotel, with many friends around. But I’ve done so much. I’ve climbed the Great Wall even though I felt like quitting multiple times on my way up. It was from the support of my friends like Jayden and Rebecca who were alongside me that I was able to keep pushing myself to climb those steep stairs and brave through the large crowds of bugs. Moving on to Chengdu, I saw more the just the pandas. I also tasted the delicious Sichuan cuisine with my host family, Tommy here, showed me. Being here in China, I have only further realized the importance of cultural communication and connection, and the need for us all to work together to create a better future for all. It was wonderful hearing everyone’s performance today and the ideas to improve the world during the Youth Forum and I hope that we can make lasting change.

Photo credit: CEAIE

Text credit: Matthew Zhang, Brooklyn Technical High School

Hello I am Yifan, and I am writing to you from Chengdu, Kuan Zhai Xiang. As we walk down this small, but busy alley, we notice an array of snacks and foods in all shapes and sizes, colors and smells. One such odd shaped foods is 波斯糖or Persian sugar. They look like strands of tread, having been hand pulled carefully by skilled craftsman. Then the now fine sugar are wrapped in rolls and filled with sesame powder and other raw materials. Originally, 波斯糖 was founded in the Qing Dynasty, after Emperor Qian Long traveled down to Tianfu, Chengdu, and tasted the delicate candy that melts instantly in your mouth. He adored it so much that he made them tribute them presented to the imperial court. Ever since then, 波斯糖became a royal delicacy.

The shop really caught my attention, the giant pot of sesame powder and the sugar craftsman work tirelessly, pulling the sugar into fine treads. Each individual action of pulling and stretching the candy bringing the first clunky, hot sugar into the thin, dainty 波斯糖.

Text and photo credit：Yifan Zhang，High School for Environmental Studies

There are many features of a culture that connects people around the world; for example, the musical and artistic performances we experienced today. The performance included the usage of traditional Chinese dances, makeup style, and clothing. After the memorable performance, we all shown appreciation to the performer by applauding and taking pictures. It was an amazing day and I hope I may experience this again!

Text and photo credit：Calvin Zhou，Brooklyn Technical High School

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YLC2024 Day 7，Sunday，July21

It’s a day with our host family, we’ve done many activities and here are a part of them. As you can see, we dress up in to hanfu a traditional Chinese dresses to experience the ancient culture of China. Today have been so fun with our host family and also learn a lot of the culture and tradition of Cheng du. I choice this photo specifically because it’s so honor to be able to dress in hanfu and have fun in Jinli with our Chinese friend and my roommate. This day have been so unforgettable and I will remember it for my life.

Text and photo credit : Angel Zheng, NEST+M

Balance is Chengdu.

From the Tiexiang Temple that doubles as a place of worship and archive of buddhist history, alongside its river where nature and commerce intertwines harmoniously. Balance is meeting three plates of meats with three plates of vegetables. The discovery of ancient cultures with modern colors at the Jinsha Site and finding equilibrium of awe and honor at the Wuhou Temple. To finally returning to the city’s center where its twin towers line the avenue of cars with neons, defining the true meaning of multipurpose.

My friend, Tylen, calls it 对称.

Text and photo credit：Peter Francis ，Brooklyn Latin School

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YLC 2024 Day 6, Saturday, July 20

To end off our first full day in Cheng Du, US students and local Chinese students feasted on a delicious hot pot dinner together. It was not only the mouth-watering food that made the night so special, but also the live music performances on the water, the stunning atmosphere and the amazing conversations with peers. This was a night to remember!

Text and Photo Credit: Hahnah Hochman , UNIS

Today we spent the entire day at the Chengdu Chenghua Jiaxiang Foreign Languages School and it was such a wonderful experience. One of the activities we did was Chinese calligraphy and painting! I was super excited to participate in Chinese calligraphy as I have competed in contests before back at home. As a group, we collectively wrote out “生活美好社會吉祥” which means “Life is beautiful”. For the painting part, we learned about the history of a famous panda named Huahua 🐼 and also got to paint them! It was very enjoyable to decorate our fans with a variety of pandas and bamboos. Through these activities, I learned so much about Chinese history and culture and shared many laughs with friends. I can’t wait to hang up my artwork and use my fan!

Text and photo credit: Rebecca Wong, Brooklyn Technical High School

Today we spent the day with our host family! They brought us around Chengdu to explore many landmarks and to eat many tasty foods. Our first destination was the SiChuan University Museum, where we saw many historical pieces such as porcelain ceramics and calligraphy paintings from the Tang and Han dynasties. We then headed to Jinli Street where we tried delicious street foods. We had tons of cold desserts, spicy skewers, and even tried pig brain. We also bought adorable plushies of Chengdu’s favorite animal, the 熊猫! Overall, today was so fun and I’m so happy that I was given the opportunity to get to know my Chinese peer, Cici!

Photo credit： Rebecca Wong ，Brooklyn Technical High School

Text credit： Madison Wu ，Brooklyn Technical High School

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YLC 2024 Day 5, Friday, July 19

This morning we went to the U.S embassy and met with different U.S diplomats. At the embassy, we listened to the diplomats discuss the importance of U.S representation. After we left the embassy, we had an amazing lunch, and then went to the airport. When we were descending upon our flight, I saw the breath taking view of Chengdu.

Text and Photo Credit: Soleli Chan, BSGE

Today was our last day in Beijing! We checked out of our hotel and headed to the US Embassy to meet with State Department officials. Through a panel question and answer format, we learned what different officers do for their jobs, and how they became part of the foreign service. We heard from officials about public events, politics, economics, management, and environmental science!

Afterwards, we went to the airport to fly to Chengdu. When we arrived, we were welcomed by a giant dancing panda! We also found that the hotel had given each of us small panda plushes and handwritten cards wishing us a pleasant stay! It was very sweet and kind of the hotel staff!

Through the glimpses of Chengdu I caught on the bus, I'm excited to discover more of the city in the coming days!

Text and Photo Credit: Nora Nickolov, The Nueva School

Today we had our flight from Beijing to Chengdu! I am so excited to explore Chengdu and learn about the rich food culture here. Additionally as seen in the photo, there are many pandas here that we will visit one day, which is so exciting! Seeing the giant panda was funny and very interesting, a great introduction to the great people of Chengdu.

Photo Credit: CEAIE

Text Credit: Erion Ahmetaj, Eastchester Highschool

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YLC 2024 Day 4, Thursday, July 18

We went to the Great Wall! 

In the morning, we visited the Shougang Park, an open area converted from the largest steel manufacturing factory founded in 1919 to a post-industrial cultural, sports, and educational area. We walked around its old furnace, underground cooling system and watched the freestyle ski ramps built for the 2022 Bejing Winter Olympic Games.  One of our docents, a worker of Shougang since 1995, shared her personal story going through the changes with one of the oldest and biggest state-owned manufacturing companies in China too.

By 2 PM, we arrived Juyong Guan （居庸关） Great Wall. It was scorching hot though who wanted to miss climbing up the Great Wall? Some of us even made our way all up to the 12th watchtower, the top of this section of the Great Wall. Regardless of how far we went, it is great to actually set the foot on the Great Wall!

Photo credit: Shenzhan Liao; CEAIE

Text: Shenzhan Liao, China Institute in America

I climbed to the top of the Great Wall with some friends and took this picture. This one is my favorite because it shows the contrast of the 2000 year old wall in the same frame as modern day infrastructure

Text and Photo Credit: Jayden Cunha, Brooklyn Technical High School

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Alex Wang ,Brooklyn Tech High School

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YLC 2024 Day 3, Wednesday, July 17

Tonight we explored the beautiful Liangma River by boat at sunset. The light installations added such a vibrant modern feel to the area and were well integrated within the space, making each part of the river different from the next. I also noticed many local Beijing residents running and walking along the paths lining the water. I love multi-functional urban spaces like these where the community can connect and enjoy their surroundings in different ways, together. This outlook on urban design and public space in Beijing is something I’ll definitely take back to NY with me.

Text and Photo Credit: Raphaelle Eckhardt, NEST+M

Today, we took a peaceful cruise along the Liangma River, soaking in the beautiful views of Beijing. The calm water and city lights made the experience unforgettable. This lights under the bridge were especially captivating.

Text and Photo Credit: Mohammad Arbab, Brooklyn Technical High School

During the few days we have explored the beautiful city of Beijing, today was definitely one of my favorites! In the morning, we visited The Affiliated High School of Peking University, where we experienced China’s rich culture and history through its arts: Guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), Kunqu opera, and dragon and lion dance. I was particularly excited when I saw the lion heads laid out in the gym as  I have a strong background in lion dance, and have performed many times during Chinese New Year in Chinatown. While talking to one of the teachers about lion dance, he asked me if I had any experience and invited me to help him lead his workshop. Being able to teach my peers lion dance, and seeing them enjoy a part of my culture that I love so much, felt very fulfilling. I hope that everyone enjoyed learning about lion dance as much as I enjoyed teaching it!

Photo Credit: CEAIE

Text Credit: Sandra Li, Brooklyn Latin School

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Exciting School Visit and Lion Dance Experience for Our Students

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YLC 2024 Day 2, Tuesday, July 16

After an amazing breakfast, we headed to the Center of Beijing Urban Planning to start the day learning about Beijing Central Axis and walked around Da Shilan Hutong. In the afternoon, the bus drove us to the outskirt of Beijing to tour around BAIC Bluepark and JD Logisitics Asia Warehouse No 1.

Today we toured Bejing Central Axis, Basic Bluepark, and JDL Asia Warehouse. Out of all the things we went and saw I'd say my favorite was Basic Bluepark. We got to see their newest car models and all their functions. These cars are nothing like US cars. The functions of the Arcfox and Kaola proved to be above the rest by accounting for both senior and infant buyers. Not only were they extremely accessible they were also "chique". The cars were gorgeous with a variety of colors and styles. I can't drive but these cars made me want to get my license and start.

Photo credit : CEAIE

Text credit：Maliyah Ambrose ,NEST+M

I chose this photo because it helps visualize the sheer scale of beijing. This is special to me because i have visited beijing to visit family every summer but never truly noticed how big it actually is. Through this model we can also observe the variety of architecture, from the old buildings to the new buildings.

Photo and text credit: Benson Wei, Brooklyn Tech High School

Today was another fully packed day in the culturally rich and technologically advanced capital city of Beijing. The ancient architecture of the olden times takes my breath away. Still, with every new place that I visit, I find the most beauty in the mundane. I capture for you: a row of teal bicycles lined against a purple fence under a large, green willowing tree.

希望你们能喜欢我在北京拍的小日常🌱

Photo and text credit : Hebe Lu, Brooklyn Latin School

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YLC 2024 Day 1, Monday, July 15

We arrived in Beijing! 

Exhausted but excited after the long flight, our group met with the warm welcome at the Beijing airport with a ride on 2 coach buses, and an early lunch even before we checked in at the Beijing Friendship Hotel. What's better after a 16-hour flight than delicious food and a comfortable room？

It might be a bit challenging to fight against the jet lag for many of us but opening ceremony at the Beijing University Affiliated High School of Peking University was nevertheless filled with joyful moments, when we met Chinese students from the school and other American youth leaders from U.S. Rock, Paper, Scissor! We met new friends!

Photos by CEAIE

Text by Shenzhan Liao, China Institute in America