"It's just something that a textbook can't teach you ... It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it will for sure change your life," a Lincoln High School student recalled with gusto his encounter with Tai Chi.
WASHINGTON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Just back home in the U.S. state of Washington, Isaiah Daniel Long was only too ready to share with his family and classmates the unforgettable moments about his China trip.
"It's just something that a textbook can't teach you ... It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it will for sure change your life," the Lincoln High School student recalled with gusto his encounter with Tai Chi, one of the traditional cultural classics, on Wudang Mountain, a sanctuary for the Taoism martial art in central China's Hubei province.
During the 11 days from March 17, a group of 24 American high school students, including Long, visited Beijing and other Chinese cities as part of the exchange and study program that would invite 50,000 American youths to China over the next five years, an initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his U.S. visit late last year.
Long had counted the days until eventually landing up in China. He and many of his American peers were fascinated by Chinese martial arts. Dressed in Tai Chi suits, they hiked up the Wudang Mountain to a temple built hundreds of years ago, and practiced the Chinese martial art with local practitioners.
Greatly impressed by the peace and serenity amidst aged trees and antique architecture, he said that all this prompted him to "take a step into history" and "kind of grasp what the people back then was."
"The Tai Chi was so cool. It was really hard, but they did really well, and they practice a lot," said Makenna Kelpman, a student from Steilacoom High School, also in the Washington State.
As a traditional Chinese martial art dating back to ancient times, Tai Chi consists of a series of gentle exercises intended to create harmony between the mind and body, and over the ages, it has become more focused on health promotion and rehabilitation.
A footballer, wrestler and golf champion in Washington, Kelpman had looked forward to learning Chinese martial arts, which she had only glimpsed in one of her favorite movies: Kung Fu Panda.
During their stay in Beijing, Kelpman tried wire-flying like a chivalrous girl in Chinese legends, with the help of martial arts team members of the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports.
And after trying Tai Chi, she came to the conclusion that wrestling is all about fighting an opponent, while martial arts is about strengthening one's body and mind.
During the trip, American students made more Chinese friends. Steilacoom student Alli Pearl McGhinnis wanted to have her Chinese name written on her Chinese bamboo fan, and asked her Chinese friend Andrew for help. As if having a fortunate stroke of serendipity, the two became friends: Alli skis while Andrew snowboards.
"We were very similar in a lot of ways. I thought we would be very different," said Alli. The pair, as did many others, exchanged WeChat numbers and decided to keep in touch.
Before flying to China, Long was mulling bringing home a number of presents for his sisters, and an English copy of the Chinese novel Journey to the West, for himself -- a fan of Chinese mythologies. A tight schedule gave him hardly any chance to the fiction, but he was more than happy to learn that his school had been gifted a copy.
Now he has figured out a new plan -- to study at a university in China. "I think it's definitely the biggest way that this exchange is shaping by future," he said.
"To build relationships is really important, especially if it's somebody not from your area, not from like your country," said Long. ■
