US youth experience Chinese New Year traditions in Shenzhen

A U.S. youth pickleball delegation is getting a taste of Chinese New Year traditions during its visit to Shenzhen, with activities ranging from paper cutting and calligraphy to celebrating Lunar New Year's Eve with local families.

U.S. students pose for a photo holding calligraphy featuring the character “福,” meaning good fortune. File photo

The 2026 U.S. Youth Pickleball People-to-People Exchange Delegation arrived in Shenzhen on Feb. 15, kicking off its first China visit of the year. The delegation consists of 45 teachers and students from 17 public schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, including 38 students and seven teachers.

With the Spring Festival underway, experiencing the festive atmosphere has become an important part of their trip. On Feb. 16, the U.S. students visited a community in Qianhai, where they joined local residents in making dumplings, cutting paper decorations and watching the Spring Festival Gala together on Chinese New Year's Eve.

They also visited Splendid China Folk Village, where traditional performances such as lion dances and yangko dancing offered them a closer look at Chinese folk culture.

Jeffrey Keith Sullivan, head of the U.S. delegation, said he was impressed by Shenzhen’s innovation and hospitality.

"This is my second time in Shenzhen, and it's been a wonderful impression,” Sullivan said, adding that the city's transformation from a small fishing village into a technologically advanced metropolis was “awesome.”

For Sullivan, the trip is also about building connections between young people through pickleball.

"We build friendships one relationship, one rally at a time,” he said. “The more opportunities that we have to do that, the better the world will be.”

The delegation members said the Spring Festival activities had given them a better understanding of Chinese culture.

U.S. youth envoy Ryan James Corkey enjoyed making a traditional red paper decoration, saying the experience helped him appreciate the meaning behind the holiday.

Isabelle Jade Strouble said she enjoyed learning about the symbolism of the Year of the Horse, while fellow envoy Haley Grace Corkery discovered the tradition of Chinese calligraphy and learned that certain characters symbolize good luck.

A U.S. student embraces a Chinese volunteer during the Spring Festival activities. Qiu Weibin

For Addison Nichole Kain, the experience highlighted similarities between Chinese and American cultures.

"I think that they have the same values with just family and reunion and being together,” Kain said.

Sullivan said learning about the Spring Festival had helped the young visitors understand the importance of family reunion in Chinese culture.

The exchange is one of the initiatives aimed at implementing the 2023 proposal to invite 50,000 American young people to China for exchange and study over five years. Following the first U.S. youth pickleball delegation's visit to China in April 2025, the sport has increasingly served as a bridge for friendship and people-to-people exchanges between young people from China and the United States.

As the Year of the Horse begins, Sullivan wished everyone a happy Chinese New Year and said the delegation looked forward to continuing its journey of exchange.