Up close and personal

Joshua Calandrella tried acupuncture and experienced humai, a throat-singing technique from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, for the first time during the 2026 Discover China Program hosted by Beijing Foreign Studies University in June.

Both encounters offered the PhD candidate in literature and criticism at Indiana University of Pennsylvania a closer look at traditional Chinese culture.

"Unlike treatments that only touch the surface, I felt the acupuncture deep inside — the qi, the inner energy, was flowing," Calandrella said. "It's completely different from taking a pill. With traditional Chinese medicine, you can feel the results immediately."

It was Calandrella's second trip to China through the exchange program. This time, he joined 15 other students and professors from the United States and explored different facets of the country, from visiting the technology company Ant Group to learning about traditional Chinese culture.

Their journey also took them beyond Beijing to Yiwu, Zhejiang province, where they visited the Yiwu International Trade City — the largest small commodity wholesale market in the world — gaining a glimpse into the city's vibrant commercial life, and local educational institutions.

Calandrella's experience is part of a broader expansion of people-to-people exchanges between China and the US, giving more young Americans opportunities to see and experience the country firsthand.

An initiative was launched in late 2023 to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs over a five-year period. By May this year, more than 50,000 participants had visited China, reaching the target two and a half years ahead of schedule.