In October 2023, Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng travelled from Des Moines to Muscatine, Iowa, to visit a group of old friends.

Luca Berrone who was involved in President Xi Jinping’s first visit to the United States in 1985 and Chairman of the Muscatine-China Initiatives Committee Dan Stein warmly greeted Ambassador Xie, and gave him a tour at the Sino-U.S. Friendship House. 

The photos on the walls of the house attested to President Xi’s friendship with local people during his visits to Muscatine in 1985 and 2012. Deeply touched by the beautiful stories behind the photos, Ambassador Xie left on the guestbook a message in both Chinese and English: “Follow President Xi Jinping’s footsteps to advance China-US peoples’ friendship”.

At noon, more old friends including Sarah Lande and Joni Axel joined Ambassador Xie at a reunion. 

Ambassador Xie said that it was a great pleasure to return to Muscatine after 11 years to get together with so many old and good friends of the Chinese people. President Xi Jinping first visited Iowa in 1985, and you were the first group of American friends he got to know. When meeting with you again in 2012, President Xi said that “Iowa is my first stop in the United States, and you were the first group of Americans I came into contact with. To me, you are America.” A lot has changed in China-U.S. relations, and the political correctness of being tough on China has been spreading in some places. But I remain convinced that our common interests far outweigh differences, our peoples’ enthusiasm for more exchanges and cooperation stays unchanged, and many American people still have warm feelings toward China. From Des Moines to Muscatine, what has impressed me most is how much the people of Iowa cherish and support China-U.S. friendship. It is the hardworking and warmhearted people like you who are the epitome of America.

Ambassador Xie said that President Xi deeply values friendship, and always holds old friends close to his heart. Personally committed to advancing people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States, President Xi sent a congratulatory letter to the “Bond with Kuliang: 2023 China-U.S. People-to-People Friendship Forum” earlier this year, and replied letters from the U.S.-China Youth and Student Exchange Association and friends from all walks of life in Washington State, General Joseph Stilwell’s grandson John Easterbrook, and the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation and the Flying Tigers veterans. He pointed out that the hope and foundation of China-U.S. relations lie in the people, and the future lies with the youths, conveying expectation and best wishes for our peoples’ friendship to flourish forever.

Ambassador Xie said that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the sister state relationship between Iowa and Hebei Province. In this visit to the heartland of America, I am seeking to follow the guidance of President Xi, further promote exchanges and cooperation between China and Iowa, including Muscatine, at the subnational level and in areas such as agriculture, culture and cooperation. We may start with small concrete steps to gradually stabilize and improve China-U.S. relations to the benefit of the two peoples. Having learned about the plan to renovate the Sino-U.S. Friendship House, Ambassador Xie suggested working on a virtual version also to provide a 360-degree tour of the house, so that more people will be motivated to be part of the efforts to renew peoples’ friendship between our two countries.

Ambassador Xie’s remarks were warmly welcomed by the American friends present, who shared their stories with President Xi, and expressed appreciation for President Xi’s care for his old friends as well as expectation to meet President Xi again. Sarah said that a world of friendship is a world of peace. Such friendship will be sustained when people have the opportunity to get a deeper understanding of each other’s culture by visiting other countries. President Xi’s best wishes and expectation for the friendship between our peoples are just as heartwarming as the beautiful autumn day, and are a source of inspiration for all old friends committed to U.S.-China goodwill.

Luca said it was his great honor to be the first American to shake hands with President Xi in 1985 and accompany him throughout his visit to Muscatine. He was deeply touched that President Xi recognized him at an event many years later and came up to shake his hand. It has ever since motivated him to be dedicated to promoting U.S.-China cooperation and exchanges. The goodwill between the two peoples is tangible and solid. When he attended the “Bond with Kuliang: 2023 China-U.S. People-to-People Friendship Forum” in Fujian Province in June upon invitation, he was again impressed by President Xi’s warm feelings toward the American people. Luca said for him, the Chinese people are not only friends but also brothers, who have expanded his understanding about what transcultural friendship is like. We need more than ever to pass on the friendship and go beyond differences.

Dan said that before the pandemic, renowned Chinese art troupes brought spectacular performances to the people of Muscatine for many consecutive years. This was not usual for a small city in the heartland of the Midwest, and spoke volumes about the Chinese people’s friendly feelings toward the American people. The Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School has sent students to visit Iowa for years, and a student delegation would arrive in Des Moines in several days for the Global Youth Institute of the World Food Prize. Dan expressed readiness to continue encouraging summer study tours of American middle and high school students to China.

Sarah gave Ambassador Xie her memoir “Old Friends: The Xi Jinping-Iowa Story” as a gift. She said that she and some of the old friends present spent five years writing the book to commemorate President Xi’s deep bonds with Muscatine and the friendship between Iowa and China. The next chapter of U.S.-China friendship will be left to the youths to write. She is happy to continue helping facilitate bilateral exchanges and cooperation and deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the youths.

Time flies, but friendship stays. Before bidding farewell, Ambassador Xie and the old friends took a group photo by the Mississippi River. May the friendship between Chinese and American peoples also roll on just like the river.

Chinese Consul-General in Chicago Zhao Jian and others also attended the events.