On June 5th, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Camp for Middle School Students of Utah themed "Chinese Bridge—Exploring Chinese Culture" was held at Songshan Shaolin Wushu College in Zhengzhou City, Central China's Henan province. Twenty-five teachers and students from the US state of Utah commenced their ten-day study trip to Henan.

During the stay, the American students will explore renowned scenic spots such as the Shaolin Temple and Songshan Mountain, delving into the profoundness of Chinese martial arts and Chan culture. They will also immerse themselves in traditional Chinese skills like tea art, paper-cutting, calligraphy, and weaving, experiencing the captivating blend of cultural heritage and innovation. Additionally, they will visit Longshan Shaolin Wushu College for fostering friendships through martial arts and exchanging ideas with Chinesestudents.

Liu Yisha, one of the campers, is full of expectations for this summer camp. She said that she started learning Chinese nine years ago and have always wanted to visit China; she is very happy to participate in this summer camp and hope to learn more about Chinese culture through this activity.

Wang Zhanqiang, one of the heads of Songshan Shaolin Wushu College, expressed hope that the campers will gain a deeper understanding of China and benefit from the diverse language and cultural courses and practical activities. He also welcomes more American friends to visit China and Henan to experience Chinese culture.

This event is the part of the program of "Inviting 50,000 Young Americans to China for Exchange and Study in the Next Five Years", which is organized by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, a non-profit professional educational institution for international Chinese language education in China, and hosted by Songshan Shaolin Wushu College, receiving significant support from the Education Department of Henan Province. (Reporter/Tong Lin, Translator/Tong Lin)

2024“汉语桥——行走的中国文化课堂”美国犹他州中学生夏令营开营

跨越山海，同享文化之美。6月5日上午，2024“汉语桥——行走的中国文化课堂”美国犹他州中学生夏令营开营仪式在嵩山少林武术职业学院举行，来自美国犹他州的25名师生开启为期10天的河南研学之旅。

10天时间里，以“武术”为线索，美国中学们将在“行走河南”中“读懂中国”，探访少林寺、嵩山等文化圣地，感受中华武术与禅宗文化的博大精深；研习茶艺、剪纸、书法、编织等传统技艺，体验文化传承与创新的独特魅力；走进嵩山少林武术职业学院，以武会友，加强与中国青年学子的交流互动。

“我九年前开始学习中文，一直想来中国看看；很高兴参加这次夏令营，也很期待学习中国功夫，希望可以通过这次活动了解更多的中国文化。”营员代表刘依莎对此次夏令营充满期待。

嵩山少林武术职业学院党委副书记王占强表示，希望通过夏令营丰富的语言文化课程和实践活动，营员们能更加了解中国，学有所获；同时希望通过这次活动加强双方交流合作，也欢迎更多的美国朋友来中国做客，来河南做客。

据悉，本次活动是“5年5万名美国青少年来华交流学习”项目之一。活动由中外语言交流合作中心主办、嵩山少林武术职业学院承办。河南省教育厅给予活动大力支持。（记者/童林 通讯员/赵君明 编译/童林）

Web editors: Shen Jianqi, Tong Lin