Fifth “China in the Eyes of Americans – American Youth Telling the Stories of Hubei with Lenses and Paintbrushes” Second Art Exhibition

On 05/31/2025, Fifth “China in the Eyes of Americans – American Youth Telling the Stories of Hubei with Lenses and Paintbrushes” second art exhibition was held at the Saratoga City Library. Nearly 50 photographs taken by 17 American teenagers were exhibited. From June 10 to 20, 2024, 12 members of YHCCA traveling to Wuhan and Xianning, Hubei, China, started “American Youth Telling the Stories of Hubei with Lenses and Paintbrushes” camp. With unique perspectives and fresh examples, they vividly recorded and displayed the stories of China’s Hubei Province, promoted the dissemination of China’s excellent regional culture and enhanced exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

The president of YHCCA, Bryan Chen, said:

I am Bryan Chen, President of the Youth Horizon Culture Connection Association. What stood out to me the most was the opportunity to truly experience the real China alongside my friends and bring that experience back to the U.S through our photography and artistic portrayal. We were able to share a more authentic perspective with our American peers, a perspective that goes beyond common media portrayals. We showed them that China is a beautiful, diverse, and welcoming country, rich in history and full of remarkable landmarks. I would definitely say it’s wise not to judge a place or its people too quickly. Instead, take the time to experience it for yourself first.

The vice president of YHCCA, Meiqi Digioia, said:

My name is Meiqi, and I am currently an 11th-grade student at Valley Christian School. I am truly honored to take on this role and to have led a group of passionate young people on an unforgettable journey to Hubei last summer, where we explored the region through our eyes and expressed it through our artwork. What we saw and felt in Hubei has been captured in our paintings and photography, now displayed here in the Saratoga Library gallery. This exhibition is for all youth and friends who are interested in Chinese culture, and I feel incredibly proud to share it with the community. This is the second stop of our exhibition tour. Our first stop was held in March at the Cupertino Library. For this exhibition, we are deeply honored to have received a Certificate of Recognition from Saratoga Mayor Belal Aftab and former Mayor Yan Zhao, as well as a commendation from the Saratoga Library. These acknowledgments make me even more proud of our organization and the work we’ve done. We will continue our efforts to use art and photography to share what we experienced in Hubei with everyone who appreciates and is curious about Chinese culture.

YHCCA member Jasmine White said:

At the Youth Horizon Culture Connection Association art exhibition on May 31, 2025, I had a lot of fun exploring how youth used lenses and brushes to share the stories of Wuhan and Hubei. By looking at the photographs and artwork created by our members, and teaching others about the meaning of them, I was also able to deepen my appreciation for the culture. This made me even more excited about going to China this year and experiencing it firsthand, as I can truly immerse myself into the culture.

Mayor of Saratoga Belal Aftab joined this event and said:

“First I want to give a certificate of recognition for the YHCCA. In the world we live in today, there’s a lot of misunderstanding of other cultures or other countries. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a lot in my life and wherever I’ve traveled, and really what I thought I learned everywhere I’ve gone is that people are the same. They just want to get to know each other, they’re friendly, they want to welcome me to their homes, share their culture, and I think we embodied that here in Saratoga but I also think this program specifically embodies that. This sort of work is very important, I think, traveling, meeting people, learning and having cultural exchanges, and doing that through art, photography, and having that being in targeted places where you’re actually meeting with people locally, I think is very incredible so I really encourage you to keep on doing this. I think it’s awesome, to be honest, I feel I’m honored to even be here, so this is just a certificate of recognition for all that. “

A lot of people including American youth and citizens visited this art exhibition. YHCCA members at the exhibition shared the stories behind their photographs with visitors, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the creative background and cultural connotations of the works.

From June 6 to 16, 2025, 16 YHCCA members will travel to Wuhan, Xiaogan, and Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hubei Province, China, to carry out Sixth “China in the Eyes of Americans – American Youth Telling the Stories of Hubei with Lenses and Paintbrushes”.

Prepare Work for Exhibition