Xi Jinping's Chinese New Year card to Iowa friends: A 41-year bond across the Pacific

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday replied to friends in the U.S. state of Iowa and sent them a Chinese New Year card, extending festive greetings across the Pacific and renewing a friendship that has lasted for 41 years.

The reply came after Luca Berrone, on behalf of Iowa friends, wrote to Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, conveying Chinese New Year wishes and reaffirming their commitment to deepening friendship with the Chinese people. Berrone, a board member of Iowa Sister States and a longtime friend of Xi, has been actively promoting the "50,000 in 5 Years" Initiative across the state.

The initiative, announced by President Xi during his November 2023 visit to San Francisco, seeks to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs over five years.

A lasting memory

Xi's bond with Iowa dates back to 1985, when he visited the United States for the first time and stayed in the city of Muscatine. Xi, who was then secretary of Zhengding County Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in north China's Hebei Province, lived with local hosts Thomas and Eleanor Dvorchak and engaged extensively with residents.

"He was curious about everything and asked questions about everything," recalled Sarah Lande, one of the Muscatine tour coordinators. Local newspaper Muscatine Journal also reported on how Xi engaged with residents, answering "a variety of questions about China and its people."

In his latest reply, Xi wrote that the warm reception he received 41 years ago remains vivid in his memory. That memory has resurfaced on multiple occasions.

In November 2023, while attending a welcome dinner hosted by friendly organizations in the United States, in San Francisco, Xi once again spoke of his stay in Iowa. He specifically recalled the house at 2911 Bonnie Drive, where he lived with the Dvorchak family. The residence has since been named the Sino-U.S. Friendship House.

"For me, they represent America," Xi said of his old friends.

An old friendship, renewed again and again

Xi returned to Iowa in 2012 as China's vice president. He made a point of revisiting Muscatine to reunite with his old friends despite a tight schedule. The gathering at Lande's home was marked by laughter and shared memories.

Thomas and Eleanor Dvorchak, who had moved to Florida, traveled back for the reunion. Xi recognized them immediately.

Another reunion took place during Xi's visit to San Francisco. When Xi saw Gary Dvorchak, son of the Dvorchaks, he said, "I stayed in your room and remember the sweatshirts and ball gear there."

"There was genuine happiness, so you could see the smile on his face. He was really enjoying it," Gary said of the reunion.

Over the years, the exchange of letters and New Year cards has become a continuation of that friendship.

Ahead of the Spring Festival in January 2025, Iowa friends, including teachers, students and parents involved in the "50,000 in 5 Years" Initiative, jointly sent a New Year card to Xi and Peng. In his reply, Xi expressed hope that the two peoples would visit each other more often, expand exchanges, write new stories of friendship and make fresh contributions to China-U.S. relations.

Gary, who also signed the latest New Year card to Xi, said it was moving that Xi continues to cherish the friendship and care about the people of Iowa.

The future in young hands

Shortly afterward Xi's announcement of "50,000 in 5 Years" Initiative, Lande wrote to him expressing hope that students from Muscatine High School could participate.

On January 4, 2024, Xi replied, saying the initiative aims to enable more young Americans to see, hear and experience China firsthand, to gain a real, multi-dimensional and comprehensive understanding of the country, and to build bridges of mutual understanding between the two peoples. He invited Muscatine students to join.

In February 2024, during the Lantern Festival, Xi wrote back to a delegation of Muscatine High School students who had visited China under the initiative, responding to their letter describing their experiences and sending them New Year greetings.

More than two years after the initiative's launch, over 40,000 young Americans have participated. In a reply dated January 7, 2026, to teachers and students from an American youth educational exchange delegation, Xi noted that this fully demonstrates that fostering friendly exchanges and cooperation is the shared aspiration of the two peoples.

In his letter to Xi, Berrone shared that many Iowa youths have enriched their life experiences and forged lifelong friendships through visits to China. Preparations are now underway for another group to travel this spring.

Across four decades, from a front door on 2911 Bonnie Drive to tens of thousands of young travelers crossing the Pacific, the thread has remained consistent.

As Xi wrote in his latest letter, regardless of how the situation evolves, the desire of the Chinese and American peoples for exchanges and cooperation will not change.