The first batch of the “2025 Chinese Youth Pickleball People-to-People Cultural Exchange Delegation to the United States” was set to embark on a cultural exchange tour to the United States from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5, following a pre-departure ceremony held at the Shenzhen Nanshan Foreign Languages School (Group) Wenhua School on Aug. 21.

The delegation’s visit comes at the invitation of the “2025 U.S. Youth Pickleball Cultural Exchange Tour in China” delegation, marking another chapter in youth diplomacy between the two nations. 

Students take an oath at the ceremony before departure. Photos courtesy of Nanshan Education

The ceremony was attended by officials including Yu Changxue, Director of the China Center for International People-to-People Exchange, Ministry of Education, and Hu Yumin, Counsellor of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside 50 representatives of teachers, students, and parents from eight schools in Nanshan District.

The event commenced with a documentary short film about the “U.S. Youth Pickleball Cultural Exchange Tour in China,” setting the tone for the upcoming journey.

Yu expressed high expectations for the delegation, emphasizing three key objectives: “to actively learn and enhance personal qualities; to use pickleball to forge friendships and serve as friendly ambassadors; and to strictly abide by discipline while showcasing China’s image through personal stories.”

Yu Changxue, Director of the China Center for International People-to-People Exchange, Ministry of Education, delivers a speech at the ceremony. 

Hu highlighted the unique nature of this exchange, noting that this is an exchange and friendship journey mediated by the pickleball. He hoped that the students can become inheritors of China-U.S. friendship and promoters of peace, building bridges between the two nations.

Hu Yumin, Counsellor of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivers a speech at the ceremony.

Xia Lei, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Nanshan District Committee and Deputy District Mayor of Nanshan District, recalled the previous year’s successful reception of American students, mentioning how Nanshan’s “technological, educational, and cultural characteristics amazed American teachers and students.” He encouraged the delegation to use pickleball as a link to showcase the graceful demeanor of Chinese youth and tell the story of Nanshan well.

Xia Lei, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Nanshan District Committee and Deputy District Mayor of Nanshan District, delivers a speech at the ceremony.

The ceremony featured a formal flag presentation to the visiting delegation. Wang Keyu, a third-grade student from the Shenzhen Shekou Yucai Education Group Yucai No.3 Middle School, led the oath-taking ceremony, with all students joining in unison.

Student representative Wang Tianqin from the Shenzhen Nanshan Foreign Languages School (Group) Wenhua School shared his plans to present American friends with a brush-written piece titled “Hard Work Pays Off” and to share “the innovative spirit behind ‘Shenzhen Speed’” with American students. 

Teacher representative Liu Chao from Nantou Middle School emphasized that pickleball “symbolizes vitality and the future,” encouraging students to make friends with confident smiles.

The ceremony concluded with a congratulatory video message from Jeffrey Sullivan, Director of Systemwide Athletics for Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland, the U.S.