APEC Stories: Kuliang connects young people from China and U.S.

Editor's note: The 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Gyeongju, South Korea, from October 31 to November 1. CGTN's "APEC Stories" series will showcase cooperation and culture of 21 APEC economies through visual storytelling.

Kuliang, or "Guling" in Mandarin, is a hillside on the outskirts of Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, at an altitude of 998 meters. Since the 1880s, foreign expatriates in Fuzhou have built summer villas, creating a community where cultures blended and friendships flourished.

Decades later, an American couple unsuccessfully tried to find Kuliang, where the husband, Milton Gardner, had spent nine years of his childhood before returning to the U.S. With the help of the Chinese government, Mrs. Gardner finally fulfilled her husband's wish by visiting Guling in 1992. For years, foreigners living in Fuzhou built villas in Kuliang, fostering a harmonious coexistence with local villagers and thus contributing to the lasting "Kuliang stories." 

This legacy continues today – as Kuliang now stands as a lasting bridge of love, friendship, and understanding between China and the U.S. On July 10, the Bond with Kuliang: 2025 China-U.S. Youth Choir Festival, under the theme of "Singing for Peace," opened in Fuzhou, drawing over 1,000 participants from nearly 30 youth choirs from China and the U.S. Cultural exchanges between China and the U.S. keep the bond with Kuliang strong, offering a platform to enhance interaction and deepen friendship among youth from both countries.