Global Times: Edgar Snow's descendant hopes China, US can still find common ground, carry on ties recognized in reply letter from Xi
BEIJING,Dec. 22, 2022/PRNewswire/ -- Chinese people and American people have a rich history of friendship and if we can successfully create opportunities to work together, this world will become a better place,Adam Foster, president of the Helen Foster Snow Foundation, who penned a letter to Xi Jinping, told the Global Times.
In a letter of reply inJanuary 2022, Xi pointed out thatEdgar and Helen Snowactively promoted the Chinese Gong He (Gung Ho) movement of industrial cooperatives, and played an important role in establishing the Shandan Peili School inChina'sGansu Province.
The Chinese people, he added, bear in mind the contributions made by international friends, including the Snows, toChina'srevolution and construction, as well as their sincere friendship with the Communist Party ofChina(CPC) and the Chinese people.
Xi said he highly appreciates the positive contributions made by theHelen Foster Snowfamily to the development of China-US relations over the years.
He expressed his hope that Foster and the foundation will continue to follow the example of the Snows and make new contributions to enhancing the friendship and cooperation between the Chinese and American people.
Xi's reply came afterAdam Fosterhad written to him, recalling the contributions made byHelen Snowto enhancing people-to-people friendship between the US andChina.
He also vowed to carry forward her spirit of promoting friendship and cooperation between the people of the two countries and create a bridge for US-China people-to-people exchanges and interaction.
"It was really encouraging to see that leaders from both sides are looking for ways to keep that people-to-people connection… I hope that relationship continues,"Adam Fostertold the Global Times.
"We wrote a letter to President Xi, and that was signed by 66 members of the Foster family, thanking the Chinese people for what they've done to celebrate Helen and to honor her legacy," said Foster.
Continuing the legacy
Helen Foster Snow, great-aunt ofAdam Foster, together withEdgar Snow, whom she met and married inChina, championed the practice of making the CPC known to the world through their writings on the Party and the Chinese revolution.
Adam Foster, President of the Helen Foster Snow Foundation, an organization named after the accomplished journalist and writer, told the Global Times that the foundation is committed to creating a platform for dialogue, engagement and practical cooperation, while focusing on exchanges in education, culture and business.
To achieve that goal, the foundation is working with universities, museums and other institutions to promote language learning, education and cultural exchanges.
"For example, we are working with partners inJiangxi Provinceto create a ceramic cultural center based inUtah, to share this amazing cultural tradition of ceramic artistry with Americans; withNorthwest UniversityinXi'an, we are working to promote the Helen Foster Snow Translation Award to be a world-class translation competition," he said.
"Chinese people and American people have a rich history of friendship. If we can successfully create opportunities to work together, this world will become a better place," saidFoster.
He said that understandingChinais not easy for Americans. "It requires something more than just reading the headlines of news stories. I think it's important for people in both countries to learn more about each other and forAmericansto become moreChina-literate."
He said it is important for both people to know that "we're not enemies of each other… sometimes the loudest voices can represent a very small minority of people. So I hope the Chinese people recognize that American people are not seeking conflict. The vast majority of Americans want peace and prosperity just as the Chinese people do."
According to Foster, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation has held several events inChinato share his great-aunt's work as a photojournalist in 1930sChina."Events like these create a chance for subnational governments to engage and have dialogue with each other on non-sensitive topics," he said.
Adam Fostersaid that he would love his five children to carry on the family tradition of warming up relations between people from both countries. "I'm hoping that I can bring my children there to follow in those footsteps [of Helen] so that they can learn more about their great aunt and the adventures she had inChina, and also to reconnect with these wonderful Chinese people that we've made friendships with over the years."
SOURCE Global Times
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