Photo: VCG

The 2019 US-China Students Gala, featuring student performance groups from universities across the Midwest, was staged at the Logan Center in the University of Chicago on late Saturday with an aim at promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Over 100 student performers presented traditional Chinese dance, pop songs and Chinese traditional instruments playing to hundreds of people in the center.

The Chinese traditional lion dance proved a hit among the audience as two students propped up a lion costume and mimicked a lion's movements. They jumped up and down and did some acrobatics, drawing thunderous applause and cheers.

Monique Crum, a sophomore from the Loyola University, was one of the 15 singers in the choral performance of a Chinese song. Their authentic pronunciation and emotional expression of the song gave people a unique experience.

"I chose to learn Chinese because it is quite a different language. I have been learning it for three and a half years," Crum told the Xinhua News Agency in an interview, adding that she has great interest in Chinese culture as well.

Nicolas Gruenwald, a 21-year-old university student and also a performer in the gala, can speak fluent Chinese. He told Xinhua that he has been learning Chinese for almost 10 years.

"I have been to many Chinese cities, like Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an," said Gruenwald. 

"I like visiting the numerous historical sites in Beijing and Xi'an. I also like Shanghai because of the super-fast maglev train there."

According to Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Jian, people-to-people exchanges between China and the US have achieved fruitful results over the past 40 years and greatly promoted the development of bilateral ties.

"I hope both Chinese and US students can actively participate in and support the exchanges between the two countries in the future."