Strengthening the Foundation of China-US People-to-People Friendship

China-US relations hope to be built on the people, rooted in the grassroots, driven by the youth, and energized by the local. In recent years, Yunnan has adhered to the guidance of Xi Jinping's diplomatic thought, based on its local advantages and characteristics, and used historical legacies of China-US cooperation such as the Flying Tigers and the Stilwell Road as a spiritual bond, toCross-border humanistic projects such as "Chinese Residences" serve as vehicles for exchanges, relying on multi-dimensional cooperation in areas such as friendship cities, youth, and economy and trade to continuously deepen exchanges between China and the US, and strive to contribute Yunnan's strength to building a constructive strategic stable relationship between China and the US.

2023Year11Moon2To the day3On Sunday, a delegation including the chairman of the Air Force Heritage Foundation, Mr. Green, and veterans and descendants of the Flying Tigers, conducted a visit in Kunming, Yunnan.

Continuing the Historical Bond

Strengthening the Foundation of China-US Friendship with Shared Memory

The friendship forged between the Chinese and American peoples during the War of Resistance Against Fascism is one of the deepest and most moving chapters in the history of Sino-American relations. Yunnan is the core region of the Hump airlift route, the Flying Tigers' operations, and the Stilwell Road, bearing the shared memories of the two peoples. Today, through excavation, protection, and revitalization, these historical resources have become the spiritual cornerstone of contemporary Sino-American people-to-people exchanges.

2023Year9Moon12On the same day, in his reply to the Chairman of the US-China Aviation Heritage Foundation, Mr. Green, and the Flying Tigers veterans, Mr. Moy and Mr. MacMillan, President Xi Jinping pointed out that the healthy and stable development of US-China relations in the new era requires the participation and support of the Flying Tigers in the new era, and expressed hope that the Flying Tigers spirit can be passed down from generation to generation among the peoples of the two countries. In the same year,11Moon, a group of Flying Tiger Corps veterans and their descendants30Returning to Kunming, the Flying Tigers commemorated the glorious years of fighting side-by-side with the Chinese people at the Flying Tigers Memorial Hall in the Kunming Museum, the former site of the American Air Force Guest House in Kunming, and the former site of the Chenggong Airport. At the "China-US Camel Air Transport Memorial School"—Kunming Foreign Language School—the children welcomed the heroes who once fought alongside the Chinese people and their descendants with smiles and flowers. Members of the delegation and the school's teachers and students planted a friendship tree together next to the "Camel Spirit Lives Forever" monument, sang "Friendship Endures Forever" together, and watched the historical musical "The Rainbow Over the Green Banks" in the auditorium. The warm, thoughtful, and heartfelt reception in Yunnan made the Flying Tigers veterans and their descendants feel the warmth of coming home. As Flying Tigers veteran MacMahon said: "The Flying Tigers spirit represents trust and friendship. In wartime, we fought side-by-side; in peacetime, we must also be eternal partners."

The spirit of the Flying Tigers is a symbol of unity and friendship, and a spirit of working together for a beautiful and happy life. This spirit needs to be inherited and promoted by more young people from China and the United States. The figure is2023Year11Moon3Day,103Moyé (left third), a veteran of the Flying Tigers, planted a tree of friendship between China and the United States at the Kunming Foreign Language School.

Building a Cultural Bridge

To"Chinese Folk Houses" tells the story of China-US joint construction.

The foundation of China-US relations is laid by the people, the door is opened by the people, the story is written by the people, and the future is created by the people. Yunnan actively supports cross-border cultural projects, encouraging American friends to become storytellers of Yunnan and co-builders of China-US culture. Among them,The "Chinese Residential" project is a vivid and lively example.

2017In the year, during a study tour of American teenagers led by Professor John Fowler, an American educator, in Deqing County, a house in Cizhong Village was discovered that was about to be submerged due to the construction of a hydropower station. A bold idea was immediately conceived: to move it to the United States. With the cooperation of the local government and villagers, Fowler's team dismantled the entire house, numbered and packed it into boxes, and transported it to West Virginia, USA, where it was rebuilt exactly as it was along the Shenandoah River. This wooden house, which has crossed half the globe, has now become a "living classroom" for American students to understand Chinese culture, and a starting point for countless ordinary Americans to experience Chinese rural culture.

2022In the year, after Yunnan learned that the "Chinese Folk House" project could not be completed due to a lack of roof tiles, it specifically procured them from the northwestern part of the province.1.4Ten thousand traditional roof tiles, and on2023Year5The Yueyun Project arrived on site. Meanwhile, Yunnan Province and the US-based "China Civil Architecture" Project Foundation jointly hosted the "In the Wild: Yunnan Architectural Tradition Research Exhibition" in Washington. Through mapping diagrams, models, installations, and photographic works, the exhibition comprehensively showcased the vernacular spatial scenes, architectural art, and the ethnic memories and wisdom embedded in different regions of Yunnan. The exhibition allowed American audiences to experience firsthand the Chinese philosophical concepts of "Heaven, Earth, and Humanity," "Valuing Harmony," and "Harmony in Diversity," sparking a strong resonance.87Yi Sheqiang, an honorary alumnus of Southwest Associated University in his advanced years (John Israel) Made a special trip from Atlanta to Washington and West Virginia to attend a series of events, and wrote in the guest book: "To Yunnan—My adoptive province(To Yunnan - My Second Hometown).

2025Year7Moon, Fraul leads again24American students came to Yunnan for a study tour. They visited Cizhong Village, met the original owners of the folk houses, and revisited the stories behind them.2026Year1In addition to leading the US delegation of teachers and students on a thematic study tour to Yunnan during President Xi Jinping's reply letter to the US youth education exchange group, Flauwer said: "I will continue to bring American students to China, and I also look forward to more Chinese students coming to the US for exchanges, hoping to sow the seeds of understanding and friendship among young people."

Yunnan willThe "Chinese Folk Houses" project integrates cultural protection, educational exchange, and people-to-people friendship, writing a wonderful story of the era where "every brick and tile is filled with affection."

A residential house, crossing the Pacific Ocean, has become a vivid testament to Sino-American people-to-people friendship. This Yunnan residential house, which integrates cultural elements of the Han, Tibetan, and Naxi ethnic groups, was once on the verge of being submerged due to the construction of a hydropower station. John, a professor in the United States· Through the joint efforts of the Frauer and the local community, the entire residential building was dismantled and transported across the ocean to be rebuilt exactly as it was on the banks of the Shenandoah River in West Virginia, USA, serving as a vivid vehicle for the "Chinese Residential Building" transnational cultural project.

Cultivating Future Talent

Continuing the Chapter of US-China Friendship Through Youth Exchange

2023Year11Month, President Xi Jinping announced at a joint welcome banquet hosted by American friendly groups "China's future5New Year Invitation5"Ten thousand American teenagers come to China for exchange and study." As of2026Year5Month, Yunnan Province, various departments meticulously organized the reception for scholars from the "Zhihang China - China-US Youth Elite Program", the "Youth Ambassador Exchange and Study Program" of the University of South Carolina School of Business, the "Youth Journey to China - US High School Spring Camp", Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Bard College Washington Campus, and Friends School in Germantown, etc.22Total430American teenagers visited Yunnan with a theme covering the exploration of the Flying Tigers' history, Chinese language study, local cultural experiences, and a "journey to find their roots" for Chinese American youth. Here, the American teenagers learned about the history of China's border regions, studied the diverse ethnic cultures, experienced the vitality of Yunnan brought by rural revitalization and border opening-up, revisited the story of the US-China collaboration of the Flying Tigers, and immersed themselves in the experience of "a life called Yunnan."

Yunnan is also actively promoting youth"Online communication" combined with offline visits. From2022Since the year, with the support and promotion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Embassy, teachers and students from Malipo County, Wenshan Prefecture, and the U.S. Washington Youth Volunteer Club (CYOC) Launch online communication. Currently, a total of online communications have been held.18Field, total duration exceeds36hours, covering nearly a hundred students on the Yunnan border andCYOCCore Youth30Yuren.2024Year,CYOCChinese-American youth step into Ma Lipo for the first time;2025In the year, teachers and students from Malipo went to the United States for a visit, realizing the "relay journey" of the Chinese and American youth "crossing mountains and seas to fulfill the promise of the clouds."

From the cloud to the offline, Yunnan takes practical action to implement President Xi Jinping'sThe entrustment of "The Future of US-China Relations Lies in Youth" has transformed into a series of reciprocal youth journeys, allowing the seeds of US-China friendship to take root and flourish in the hearts of young people, remaining evergreen year after year.

2024Year6Moon,CYOCChinese youth visited Malipo for the first time, and the exchange between the youth of the two places finally moved from online to offline. Volunteers from the Chinese American community crossed mountains and seas to come to Yunnan, fulfilling the promises they made to each other in the cloud. During this trip to Yunnan, the children experienced the wonderful scenery of China's southwestern border, immersed themselves in the rich and colorful ethnic minority cultures, and interacted face-to-face with the children of Malipo. They bonded and celebrated their innocent cross-border friendship, leaving behind deep and unforgettable memories. The picture isCYOCChinese-American teenagers visit the First Primary School of Malipo County.

Expand mutual benefits

Strengthening the Foundation of China-US Relations Through Economic and Trade Cooperation

President Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that economic and trade relations should continue to be the ballast and accelerator of China-US relations, rather than a stumbling block and a point of conflict. Yunnan will deeply embed economic and trade cooperation within the framework of people-to-people exchanges, promoting the realization ofA win-win of "civilian-military integration" and "military-civilian integration".

Global berry leader US berry company from2013Since entering China, it has been working together with Yunnan Province to build a global high-quality berry production base and berry brand. Currently, Zhuomei Company has established berry planting bases and seedling breeding centers in counties (cities) such as Honghe, Xishuangbanna, Qujing, Lijiang, Baoshan, Dali, and Chuxiong, with a cumulative investment of over30Billion RMB, total berry planting area is about6Ten thousand mu, created1000Full-time and2Tens of thousands of seasonal positions. At the same time, the company has also developed and introduced167Related enterprises cultivate domestic planting enterprises, and through the "enterprise + farmer" model and the mechanism of linking enterprises with farmers, they provide technical training to farmers, strongly promoting the modernization of the berry industry and contributing to rural revitalization. The growth of Zuo Mei is not a zero-sum competition, but a shared harvest that transcends national borders.

Yunnan is also actively building multi-level matching platforms.2025Year8In May, the "Cloud Enterprises Go Global - China-Yunnan Specialty Products and 'Caiyun Market' San Francisco Promotion Conference" was held in San Francisco;11In the month of May, "Golden Bridge Connects Cloud Ridge: Yunnan-San Francisco Entrepreneurs Dialogue" was held in Kunming, with the two places200Yuwei entrepreneurs have reached multiple cooperation intentions in fields such as green energy, biomedicine, and the digital economy.

2025Year8In the month of May, the "Cloud Enterprises Go Global - China's Yunnan Specialty Products and 'Caiyun Market' San Francisco Promotion Conference" was held in San Francisco. The conference, themed "Building a Golden Bridge for China-US Trade and Empowering Yunnan Products to Go Global", showcased Yunnan's specialty products, including Pu'er tea, coffee, everlasting flowers, Chinese medicinal herbs, and ethnic handicrafts. The photo shows guests examining the exhibits.

Looking to the future, Yunnan will more proactively serve and integrate into the overall US-China relationship, deepening exchanges with all sectors of American society with a more open attitude and pragmatic actions. It will make the concepts of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation take root and flourish at the local level, and strive to write the Yunnan chapter of mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of China and the United States on the journey of serving the constructive strategic stability of the US-China relationship.