Photo:Xinhua

The intricate art of Chinese bamboo weaving, martial arts and traditional music took center stage at an award ceremony held last weekend at the residence of the Chinese Consul General in San Francisco as some winners of the Chinese Bridge Chinese proficiency competition showcased their talents and skills.

One of the awardees, Andrew Fowler, is a senior student from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. He impressed the audience with his newfound skills in Chinese traditional bamboo weaving.

"My interest in Chinese was sparked in high school by a passionate teacher," Fowler said in fluent Chinese. "I plan to pursue further studies in Mandarin and linguistics in China after graduation." 

Fowler's story is just one of many, highlighting the growing interest in Chinese language and culture among American youths. Sage Houdek, an elementary school student from Minnesota, has been learning Chinese for seven years at Yinghua Academy.

Besides the Chinese language, she studies holiday rituals and customs, practices Chinese calligraphy and dance, and even plays traditional Chinese folk music on the violin. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity to visit China and connect with Chinese people," she told the audience in Chinese.

"Learning Chinese can open doors to new opportunities,"  said Chinese Deputy Consul General in San Francisco Zou Yonghong. 

"Chinese is the language with the largest number of speakers as a first language in the world and is one of the six working languages of the United Nations."

"These young people represent a growing trend of cultural exchanges and understanding between the United States and China," she noted, stressing the role of learning Chinese in promoting the healthy development of China-US relations.