Student performs Peking Opera in Los Angeles. Photo: VCG

Nearly 100 US students gathered in the Field Museum in downtown Chicago, the most populous city in the US state of Illinois, to have a taste of Chinese food and an in-person experience of Chinese culture.

They were in the museum Friday for a Chinese Cultural Day event, in which Chinese students from Northwestern University on the North Side of Chicago presented Chinese folk dance, and Chinese students from the University of Chicago brought traditional Chinese musical instruments such as guzheng, erhu and flute, and performed Chinese folk music.

At the Chinese tea art show, the US students raced to answer questions, and several of them even tried preparing tea.

Students of different grades from the private nonprofit Chicago Intercultural Montessori Language School sang the Chinese song "Descendants of the Dragon," in accurate Chinese, and three teens from the school performed "Chinese," a rap song that is difficult to finish even for some native Chinese speakers.

The event also attracted visitors passing by. "Chinese culture is extensive and profound with a long history," and the Chinese language is a "golden key" to understanding Chinese culture, Chinese Deputy Consul General in Chicago Huang Liming said in a speech before the event started.

"I hope through this Chinese Cultural Day event, you will improve your understanding of China and Chinese culture," he said.

Deborah Bekken, director of the Gantz Family Collections Center Field Museum, said the museum "is thrilled" to be selected to serve as a partner for the Chinese Culture Day event. The museum's relationship with China started in 1906. Besides its Chinese anthropological collections, many curators of the museum have established strong ties with Chinese colleagues that have led to dozens of Sino-US archaeological field expeditions, publications, and exchanges.

"The continuation of our research in China today would not be possible without the Sino-US people's friendship and cooperation," she said.

Joshua Chiatovich, a Chinese martial art teacher from a martial club in Detroit, US Midwest state of Michigan, instructed and led the students to practice kung fu.

A Jackie Chan movie aroused Chiatovich's interest in China at age 8. He later went to Xiamen University after graduating from a US university, studying Chinese culture and philosophy.

Chiatovich said that before he went to China, he still thought the country was "like the Qing Dynasty [1644-1911]."

"[Then] I was amazed by all of the modern things in the technology. It was such a learning experience for me, so I lived in China for four years," he said.

Chiatovich said he met many friends in China and it was "the best time of my life," adding that he found his calling, "I was supposed to teach people about cultural understanding."

"We have to understand each other," said Chiatovich.

"What makes us different is culture. So if we can really understand someone's culture, we can see them."