On the morning of July 25, 2023, the President of the Helen Foster Snow Foundation from the United States, along with their delegation, visited our university in Shaanxi Province, accompanied by Cao Hui, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Shaanxi Provincial Association for International Exchanges. Our school, along with the Shaanxi Snow Research Center, was responsible for receiving the delegation on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Provincial Government. The guests held discussions at our university and visited the Helen Snow exhibition. Lü Jianrong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and Dean Cao Ruonan, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Vice Deans Li Mi, Su Rui, Yang Ying, the Snow Research Center teaching team, and faculty members including Professor Li Siyuan from the English Department also participated in the meeting.
In commemoration of the American journalist Helen Foster Snow, who objectively reported on the just cause of the Chinese people during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Helen Foster Snow Foundation was established in 2019, with her nephew Adam Foster serving as the chairman. In January 2022, President Xi Jinping replied to Adam Foster, expressing China’s gratitude to international friends, including the Snows, for their contributions to China’s revolution and development. President Xi highly praised the Foster family’s efforts in advancing Sino-US relations over the years and encouraged the foundation to make new contributions to enhancing friendship between the peoples of China and the United States.
Our school has deep connections with the Helen Foster Snow Foundation. In 2016, the Shaanxi Snow Research Center was established at our university, affiliated with our school. We hosted the “Two Snows’ Affection for China International Symposium”, and invited descendants of Helen Foster Snow to attend. Additionally, we arranged for teachers to accompany them on visits to Yan’an, Zhidan, Liangjiahe and other places. It was during this trip that Adam Foster recognized the fine qualities of the Chinese people and the historical origins of Sino-American friendship. Subsequently, he was determined to carry on the family tradition, establish the foundation, and continue to build bridges for mutual understanding and trust between the Chinese and American people.
Since the establishment of the Shaanxi Snow Research Center at our school, we have established the Snow Center Office and Snow Reading Room, providing convenience in terms of venue and resources for Snow research. We attach great importance to the promotion of Snow research and teaching. In recent years, we have held Snow and international friend seminars, organized five Helen Foster Snow Translation Award competitions, sent four Helen Foster Snow visiting scholars abroad, developed the “International Friends in China” online course, initiated the Helen Foster Snow English Drama Festival, established the Red Memory Interpretation Team, conducted social surveys of international friends, translated and published works, and organized exhibitions. We have also undertaken research projects to inherit the spirit of Snow in various ways. Looking ahead, our school will continue to strengthen cooperation with the Helen Foster Snow Foundation in the United States. Through the Snow Bridge, we will explore ways of cooperation and communication platforms for Sino-US people-to-people exchanges, striving to make more contributions to the foreign affairs work of our province.
Photo: He Jiale
Text: Chen Juan
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