Carrying forward 'Kuliang friendship' for closer China-US ties

Young people from the U.S. visit smart cultivation facilities for specialty fruits at an agricultural science and technology industrial park in Jinhua, east China's Zhejiang province, Oct. 21, 2026. (Photo/Shi Bufa)

The 2026 Kuliang Forum was recently held in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian province. Friends from all walks of life in China and the U.S. gathered in the city, where the story of Kuliang took place, to relive their transoceanic friendship, discuss shared expectations for people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and rally public support to translate the vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability into action.

Kuliang, or "Guling" in Mandarin, was once a hillside resort among foreign expatriates in the suburbs of Fuzhou.

The story of Kuliang is a well-known example of China-U.S. friendship personally promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. It bears the deep and lasting bonds between the Chinese and American people spanning over a century.

In 1992, as Fuzhou's Party Secretary, President Xi came across a touching story about Kuliang published in People's Daily. Learning of American professor Milton Gardner's lifelong attachment to Kuliang and his unfulfilled regret of never being able to return, he personally arranged for Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner to visit China and fulfill her late husband's long-cherished wish.

In 2023 and 2024, President Xi sent congratulatory letters twice to the "Bond with Kuliang" series of events, encouraging people in both countries to carry forward the Kuliang story and friendship.

Young people from the U.S. visit the Grand Canal Banzha Heritage Park in Huai'an, east China's Jiangsu province, July 10, 2026. (Photo/Zhao Qirui)

With President Xi's personal attention and support, the Kuliang story continues to take on new vitality.

From the heartfelt reunions among the "Friends of Kuliang," a group of descendants of the American families who once lived in Fuzhou, to the screening of the documentary "Dear Kuliang," the Kuliang friendship has become a vivid testament to the lasting, cross-generational bond shared by the Chinese and American peoples.

The stories of old friends grow ever richer with the passing of time, while new chapters are continuously written by new friends, helping create a new future for people-to-people friendship between China and the U.S.

Before the 2026 Kuliang Forum opened, Chinese and American friends visited Guling together, carrying forward their bond through shared memories and enhancing mutual understanding through face-to-face dialogue.

William Brown, an American professor at Xiamen University, returned to Guling after more than 30 years. He said, "Once you truly set foot on this land and get to know its people, estrangement and prejudice melt away. We can become friends and even family."

Dante Muñoz, an American vlogger visiting Guling for the first time, used his camera to capture the nature beauty of the misty mountains, saying many truths cannot be fully explained by the internet and books alone and one has to experience them firsthand.

Such mutual flow of goodwill between the Chinese and American peoples constantly gathers force to break through barriers and silence discordant noise, quietly anchoring bilateral ties to stay on the right course through thick and thin.

Youth are the witnesses and beneficiaries of China-U.S. relations, as well as their future and hope.

This year, a growing number of American youth have stepped onto Chinese land to write more Kuliang stories in the new era together with their Chinese counterparts.

For instance, the One Voice Children's Choir of the U.S. visited China and sang "We Are Together" for their Chinese friends. Through "pickleball diplomacy," successive batches of young students have built bridges of friendship.

While in China, they enjoyed an immersive travel experience, discovered its broader appeal in new ways, and shopped for quality Chinese goods. By bringing a genuine picture of China back home, they serve as a vital stream nourishing U.S.-China relations.

After reaching the five-year goal of inviting 50,000 young Americans to China for study and exchanges two and a half years ahead of schedule, President Xi has issued a new call to invite 100,000 more over the coming five years.

Scaling up this target and expanding youth exchanges will inject vibrant youth momentum into China-U.S. friendship, passing the torch of friendship from generation to generation.

This year marks a major year for China-U.S. relations. Guided by head-of-state diplomacy, bilateral ties have maintained overall stability, and the desire of both peoples to understand and draw closer to one another has grown increasingly strong.

Recent polls have shown a gradual improvement in American public perceptions of China, with growing calls for engagement and cooperation.

It is hoped that the U.S. side will listen to the public call and respond to the shared desire of both peoples for closer engagement, facilitate deeper cultural and people-to-people exchanges, translate the important consensus reached at high-level dialogues between China and the U.S. into practical actions of cooperation, and turn the rising wave of popular goodwill into a powerful force driving bilateral friendship.

As China and the U.S. will respectively host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting and the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit, new opportunities will be created for both nations to further deepen exchange and cooperation.

By strengthening bonds through cooperation and carefully nurturing the tree of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, China and the U.S. will help their friendship take deep root, flourish across generations, and remain evergreen through every season, just like the thousand-year-old cedars of Kuliang.