Friendship and exchange

Before they visited Guizhou, the choir members visited Southwest China's Chongqing city, exploring its layered cityscape and distinctive urban rhythm.

Chongqing's three-dimensional urban landscape has gained popularity on overseas social media in recent years. The choir members wanted to see for themselves the unique scenes where the city's transportation and daily life intertwine.

"The architecture is incredible," says Quincy Rosenzweig, the group's associate financial director. "I didn't understand what people meant by an '8D city' until now. It's been wonderful to see it in person."

In Chongqing, the choir performed on a Yangtze River cruise and visited millennia-old cliff carvings, textile workshops and pottery studios, encountering different strands of local heritage.

At Zhaoxing Dong village in Guizhou, the American choir tried batik-making and rice pounding, explored farming traditions, and learned about timber drum towers and covered bridges. They also visited karst caves and tea terraces.

For Oland, the Guizhou journey went beyond music and offered a genuine immersion into the local culture.

"It puts things into perspective for someone like me, who has not been outside of America very much before, to see how much culture, music, and excitement are outside of it," Oland says. "Art is a powerful way to connect and understand each other."

Local residents gifted each choir member a handmade batik costume."We are very lucky to receive these," says Elijah Lee, also a choir member."They're handmade, beautiful and unique. We will cherish them."

Xie Zongxu, a Miao scholar, served as the local guide for the event. "The friendship between nations rests on the friendship between their people. Youth exchange is a vivid example of that connection," says Xie.