A delegation of "Youth Ambassadors" from Los Angeles visited the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area from June 14 to 23, aiming to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Guangzhou and Los Angeles. The delegation comprises 14 university students and two teachers.
On the afternoon of June 17, the delegation visited the Yuexiu Park Exhibition Hall. Together with the staff and students from Guangzhou City Polytechnic, they listened to Fredrik W. Hong, co-president of the Los Angeles-Guangzhou Sister City Association, recount the stories of city-to-city exchanges. They then wrote messages wishing for enduring friendship and expressed their willingness to serve as ambassadors for future exchanges. A representative of the delegation delivered a congratulatory letter from Karen Bass, the Mayor of Los Angeles, to Sun Zhiyang, the Mayor of Guangzhou. The letter was officially received on the mayor's behalf by the Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office.
(The Time Capsule)
For many students and teachers, this marked their first trip to Guangzhou. "It was so surprising and intriguing to learn that Los Angeles and Guangzhou share such a long-standing relationship," said Samantha Boone, a student from Los Angeles Southwest College. "Learning about the history of Guangzhou on this trip has been truly eye-opening." In her written message, she expressed the hope that this sister-city bond would create more academic and cultural exchange opportunities for both cities.
(Brianna Cadena, Los Angeles Harbor College Student)
Brianna Cadena, a student from Los Angeles Harbor College, expressed deep gratitude for the patience and care she received. "I arrived in a country where I couldn't speak the language, but people were so helpful that I immediately felt at home. I'm truly grateful." She added that she felt incredibly lucky to have ended up in Guangzhou on her very first overseas flight, and hopes to return someday because of the friends she made here.
Los Angeles is Guangzhou's second international sister city. Since 1981, the two cities have maintained a stable friendship, carrying out diverse, fruitful exchanges and cooperation spanning economy and trade, port operations, sports, culture, education, youth interactions, and urban innovation. During the visit, the delegation experienced Guangzhou's open and inclusive urban character while also witnessing the preservation and inheritance of its traditional culture. This activity is part of the Global Youth Explore Guangzhou. It aims to build new bridges for China-U.S. people-to-people exchanges and inject youthful energy.
Reporter | Wang Shuhan, Ding Hefei
Editor | Yin Juewen