The Chinese Embassy in the United States and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University recently co-sponsored a master class on Chinese puppetry. See what Betty McGinnis, president of the non-profit World Artists Experiences said about the event in a letter to the Embassy.  The program series: "Harmonious Forum: Chinese Culture Master Class Series" by the Embassy works to actively promote the exchange of humanities, arts and ideas between China and the United States.

“Congratulations to you for the wonderful Chinese culture masterclass series online event that you have created! I didn’t know all the artists before, but I am so grateful to them! They are amazing! Every artist is so special .Of course, Master Chen and his team are very special to us,” Betty McGinnis wrote in the letter.

In March 2019, under the coordination and promotion of the Chinese embassy in the United States, at the invitation of the “World Artist Experience” organization, Chen Lihui, the performer of Fujian Puppetry, a Chinese performing art, went to several counties in Maryland for a 10-day cultural exchange. The lecture tour showed the unique charm of Zhangzhou Puppet Show, an excellent traditional Chinese art, to the American people, which was warmly welcomed and highly praised by the American people.

Since then, Betty McGinnis has never forgotten the art of Zhangzhou puppetry, and has always kept in touch with Chen Lihui. During the pandemic, with the assistance of the Chinese embassy in the United States, the two sides carried out virtual classes and performances in December 2021 and June 2022 respectively, attracting more than a thousand American teenagers and community members to watch online.

Betty McGinnis and master puppeteer Chen Lihui became acquainted because of cultural exchanges. Since then, the two sides have continued to extend exchanges and deepen cooperation, even under the pandemic conditions. They have jointly written a classic chapter of non-governmental exchanges and created a good example of China-U.S. friendship.

Chen Lihui expressed that he hopes to become a cultural envoy of friendship between China and other countries, “showing the ancient Chinese traditional art of puppetry to you on the other side of the ocean. I hope this little puppet can open the window for you to understand traditional Chinese culture, and use puppets as a bridge to understand China, fall in love with China.”

For more, check out our exclusive content on CGTN Now and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The China Report.