This morning, the One Voice Children's Choir from the United States joined Hangzhou Children’s Choir for an outdoor musical exchange by Jixian Pavilion by West Lake. Through clear, youthful voices, Chinese and American teenagers opened a friendly dialogue that crossed cultures and borders along the winter lakeshore.

At the scene, the Hangzhou Children’s Choir performed Dream Paradise, the city song of Hangzhou, offering a warm welcome to their American guests. The One Voice Children’s Choir then presented the Chinese song As You Wish, expressing sincere hopes for friendship and the future, and invited their Chinese friends to sing together. The performance concluded with both choirs joining hands for We Are Together.

After the outdoor concert, choir members strolled around West Lake and boarded a boat to take in the winter scenery and cultural landmarks along the way. During the tour, the teenagers visited several iconic sites, deepening their understanding of Hangzhou’s history and culture through explanations and interactive moments. The two groups exchanged thoughtfully prepared gifts and sang together spontaneously on the boat, using relaxed musical interaction to further bridge distances.

The day before, One Voice had opened a New Year concert at Hangzhou Grand Theater. For Cody Mason, a choir member who had visited China three times before, this was his first trip to Hangzhou and his first time seeing West Lake. Both the city and the lake were new experiences for him. He noted that, compared with lakes in the United States, what stood out most about West Lake was the relationship between the water and the surrounding architecture: historic buildings line the shore and blend seamlessly with the natural landscape, creating a distinctive and complete spatial character. He added with some regret that the visit was too short, and expressed hope to return in the future to explore more towers and temples and experience local culture in greater depth.

Bruce, who was visiting China for the first time, shared that learning the Chinese lyrics was challenging at first. With practice, however, he gradually found the rhythm and grew more comfortable. Overall, he thoroughly enjoyed the trip, responding with direct and positive impressions to what he saw and experienced.

As the event drew to a close, the One Voice choir visited Zhiwei Guan to sample local specialties such as Pian’er Chuan noodles, xiaolongbao, and Dingsheng pastries, along with other classic Hangzhou dishes, while observing the preparation of traditional snacks up close.

The making of xiaolongbao quickly became a focal point, drawing nearly everyone to the counter as their eyes followed the motions of rolling dough and wrapping fillings. Nearby, the noodle-making process also sparked rounds of admiration for its swift, rhythmic technique. Enjoyed fresh and hot, the xiaolongbao proved especially popular among the teenagers, with nearly every table finishing their plates.

Using music as a bridge, this exchange not only created a platform for friendship between Chinese and American youth, but also added youthful energy and sincerity to ongoing international people-to-people exchange.