Ping pong and basketball are our language

Under the organization of the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, a group of students from the U.S. state of New York spent a sporty afternoon with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing, playing ping pong and basketball – each activity separately representing China and America’s most popular ball game.

On August 16, a delegation of 26 from the Iona Preparatory School visited the Chinese capital and paid a visit to the Beijing Dongcheng District Sports School. There, the delegates first watched a gymnastic practice, deeply impressed by the young Chinese students’ hard work. They then checked out the school’s ping pong hall and played against the Chinese players. Although some of them did not even know how to hold a ping pong racket, they learnt different moves from their Chinese “coaches” with the greatest interest.

The basketball court was where the trip reached its climax, as both the Chinese students practicing there and the U.S. students are avid basketball fans. A friendly match was held accordingly between the two groups of 16 to 17 year-olds, with cheers and screams from the audience resonating in the room.

As soon as the match ended, the Chinese and American kids gathered together, hugging and patting each other like old friends. They exchanged email addresses, promised to stay in touch with each other on social media, and shared their love for the same NBA stars. They talked so fervently that it seemed the communication could go on forever!

This trip by the American students from Iona Preparatory School was a follow-up to the BPAFFC delegation’s visit to the U.S. in July for the 4th US -China Sister Cities Mayors' Summit. The American side has also invited young basketball players in Beijing to attend basketball summer camps in the future.