This summer, 57 children from Xinjiang’s Caohu project area and Bachu region journeyed over 5,000 kilometers across mountains and rivers to join hands with their Shanghai peers along the Huangpu River, creating unforgettable shared memories. On August 17, a sharing session for the “Home in Shanghai, Shared Happiness” 2025 Shanghai-Xinjiang Youth Study and Practice Program was held at the Party-mass Service Center of Jiangning Road Sub-district.
At this session, attending leaders awarded outstanding camper certificates and program completion certificates, presided over a donation ceremony for artwork created by the youth from Xinjiang, and presented letters of appreciation to the activity volunteers. Teenagers from Caohu, Bachu, and Shanghai performed dances, magic skits, qipao runway shows, instrumental music, choral singing, and poetry recitation.
Everyone expressed that although the sharing session marked the conclusion of the seven-day program, it was just the beginning of the bonds they had formed.
The seven-day journey kicked off with a table tennis match at the Youth Sports Training Management Center of Jing’an District, where professional coaches taught the kids to hold the paddle and serve, allowing them to deeply experience the power of teamwork. On a nighttime cruise along the Huangpu River, the group saw both the strength and beauty of the country and immersed themselves in Shanghai's inclusiveness and openness. At a Hanweiyang traditional culture class, everyone excitedly tried on Hanfu clothing and got hands-on with rubbing to explore the charm of intangible cultural heritage.
At the science and technology innovation sharing event, drones became wings that carried their dreams. During the revolutionary education class, children from all three regions walked from the Qian Xuesen Library to the Memorial Site of the Second National Congress of the Communist Party of China, planting the seeds of “guardianship” and “perseverance” even deeper in their hearts.
At the fifth anniversary of the “Shanghai-Xinjiang Hearts Gather in Jing'an, Tax-Benefit Support for Growth” paired education initiative, children's wish cards covered the entire display board. From cross-regional collaboration within the tax system to the participation of businesses and social organizations joining in a relay of support, countless hands have joined forces over the past five years. These efforts have turned the 5,000-kilometer distance into a warm bond of mutual care and connection.
Behind every step these children take were countless hands supporting them. For this activity, volunteers from Elite Union began preparations half a month in advance, handling everything from transportation arrangements to three daily meals. Volunteer Lu Yan said, “They went from being too shy to speak to chasing after me calling, 'Aunty! Aunty!' It made me happier than seeing my own child.”
The dōTERRA (China) R&D Center prepared an assortment of scented essential oil souvenirs for the children, featuring fragrances ranging from “the aroma of blooming fields” to “sunlight in the longtang alleys”. Attorney Zhang Yuxia from Shanghai SUNHOLD Law Firm organized a mock trial activity, allowing children playing roles as “junior judges” and “little lawyers” to gain a firsthand understanding of judicial impartiality and the sanctity of law. At Jing'an District Culture Center, intangible cultural heritage inheritors embodied cultural fusion through their fingertips—from Lu'an seal paste to qipao buttons, narrating the cultural legacy of Jing'an.
Although this study tour came to an end, the wall at Elite Union is filled with plans for follow-up activities under the “Shanghai-Xinjiang Youth Hand-in-Hand” initiative. These include online interactions, holiday postcard exchanges, and next summer’s dual-region study program.
Pan Kan, Chairman of the Elite Union, remarked, “Through this immersive ‘classroom on the move’, participants have measured distances with their footsteps and internalized experiences with their hearts to make the awareness of forging a strong sense of Chinese national community tangible and deeply resonant. The teenagers from Shanghai and Xinjiang have firmly joined hands and closely connected hearts to write the chapter of youth in the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.”
This event was organized under the guidance of the Shanghai Front Command for Pairing Assistance to Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the Bachu Sub-Command of the Shanghai Front Command for Pairing Assistance to Xinjiang, the United Front Work Department of the CPC Jing'an District Committee, and the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Office of Jing'an District. It was hosted by the Organization Department of the CPC Committee of the Xinjiang Military-Civilian Integration Development Caohu Project Area, the Chinese Communist Youth League Committee of the Xinjiang Military-Civilian Integration Development Caohu Project Area, and the Bachu County Xiaohuyang Social Development Promotion Center. The event was undertaken by the Emerging Fields Party Building Promotion Center of Elite Union in Jing'an District and co-organized by the Chinese Communist Youth League Committee of Jing'an District, Jiangning Road Sub-district, the Chinese Communist Youth League Committee of Jing'an District Tax Bureau, Shanghai Jing'an Association for Science and Technology, and Youth Sports Training Management Center of Jing'an District. Additional support was provided by dōTERRA (China) R&D Center, Qian Xuesen Library, Jing'an District Culture Center, and the Memorial Site of the Second National Congress of the Communist Party of China, among other institutions.