A delegation from Rowland Hall in the US poses for a group photo at Jiaxing's Xujiadai International Baseball Stadium. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_dce4a5933cde]

A youth delegation of 26 teachers and students from Rowland Hall in Utah, the United States, visited Jiaxing in East China's Zhejiang province on June 25 for a short-term China-US cultural exchange program, experiencing the city's rural development and historic water town culture.

The group first visited Xujiadai village in Pinghu, a county-level city in Jiaxing. Once home to underused land, the village has developed international-standard baseball facilities and combined sports with rural tourism to support local development. The students toured the baseball facilities and learned about the village's transformation.

The delegation also visited nearby orchards during the harvest season, picking and tasting local specialties including Pinghu watermelons and zuili plums.

The exchange continued in Xincheng town in Xiuzhou district, where the students walked through historic streets, visited a traditional supply-and-marketing cooperative and a Chinese medicine clinic, and learned about the preservation of historic buildings and local heritage.

The students also sampled local traditional snacks such as wontons, sesame flatbread, and fresh pork mooncakes while experiencing the centuries-old town.

The delegation now plans to share their experiences with friends to promote mutual understanding between Chinese and US young people.