Kaila Ling Di Amore makes "star-bread".

Kaila Ling Di Amore, another student from Hawaii, expressed similar opinions. "Local people are kind and friendly in ways that have impressed me a lot. I have already met some of my peers in Hainan and hope to continue contacts and exchange ideas with them. This province and my home state are both tropical islands. I made this 'star-bread' myself," she said, showing off the star-shaped bread made during the baking course.

For Hao Yang, a mandarin language teacher from Hawaii, the value of this event is the face-to-face meeting of young people from China and the U.S. "Providing opportunities for young people as much as possible is an effective solution to diminish the misunderstandings for people from these countries. Promoting communications and exchanges among youngsters during their life stages of growth are helpful for knowing differences from each other."

According to Wang Lei, Deputy Director-General of Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan Province, Hainan and Hawaii have long maintained close exchanges and robust cooperation since the establishment of sister-province/state relations in 1992, and these cooperations have yielded great achievements in education, culture, and tourism. The July 22 event and follow-up tour highlight the vibrant people-to-people ties between the youth of both regions and serve as a vivid testament to the enduring friendship between Hainan and Hawaii.