The Chinese New Year of the Horse Luncheon, hosted by the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, was held on Saturday at the Merrill Hotel in Muscatine, Iowa. The event brought together local residents, educators, officials and a visiting delegation from the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China (RDFZ) to celebrate the Spring Festival and renew longstanding ties.

The venue displayed red lanterns, red horse figurines, "fu" characters for good luck, couplets and other Chinese New Year decorations. A screen showed the event title "Celebrating the Spring Festival with Friends of Muscatine" in English and Chinese.

Sarah Lande, one of the Iowa "old friends" of Chinese President Xi Jinping who hosted him in 1985 and again in 2012, spoke first. She said the seeds of friendship were planted in the 1970s and 1980s through sister-states and sister-cities programs.

"The people-to-people exchanges that have followed have provided youth opportunities to experience each other's cultures, building trust and friendship and inspiring them to be the citizen diplomats of the future," she said. "Together with all of us, we are waging peace through friendship."

Gary Dvorchak, who now lives in Beijing, flew to attend this event. His parents' house at 2911 Bonnie Drive hosted President Xi and two other members of the delegation in 1985.

"They were treated like family, basically, thanks to all the people in Muscatine at that time that extended that hospitality. And that experience had such an impact on then-young Xi Jinping that it stuck with him his whole life," he said. "He is now encouraging the same thing to happen with a whole new generation of young people … to have all of our young people get to know not what they see on TV, but to see real people, real Chinese, real Americans in their daily life."

Kenneth Quinn, former president of the World Food Prize Foundation, spoke about citizen diplomacy. He stressed "peace through agriculture" and the need to feed 10 billion people by 2049. In an interview with China Daily, Quinn said: "It is so important to do everything we can to try to promote positive relations between the US and China … We need to be partners because there are big issues in the world."

RDFZ Principal Mi Qi said in his remarks: "The RDFZ students are committed to serving as young ambassadors of cultural exchange between our two nations and are dedicated to making the world a better place through the power of youth and education."

"The future of the two countries lies with the young people," he told China Daily. "Their exchanges were smooth and very friendly. At the end, everyone was reluctant to part."

John DaBeet, vice-president of the Muscatine Community School District and president of the Muscatine Sister Cities Organization, highlighted a 40-year journey in citizen diplomacy and, following his speech, presented Consul General Wang Baodong with a painting commemorating the anniversary.

"What we are doing is building bridges of peace and understanding and mutual respect between the citizens of Muscatine and the citizens of China," he told China Daily, adding that the Muscatine students who visited China bring what they learn back here and share it with their parents and friends.

Wang, consul general of the People's Republic of China in Chicago, said that "what has not been changed is the deep and long-lasting friendship between the people of Muscatine and the people of China".

"Coming to Muscatine is not only about reconnecting with old friends, but also about planting seeds for future generation," he said.

The RDFZ Art Troupe then performed. The chorus sang Spring Festival Overture in a cappella style, filling the hall with layered voices. The aerobics routine Building Aerospace Dreams showed precise movements and aerospace themes. The string quartet played Spring with clear, harmonious tones. The martial arts display Rising Dragons, Leaping Tigers featured a lion dance, with strong coordination. The performances prompted the audience to applaud and cheer.

Chorus member Chen Haojin told China Daily: "Music is a common language of humanity. Although we speak different languages and use different conducting gestures, we can understand each other's meaning and feel what the other wants to convey through music."

Martial arts performer Wang Chuyu said: "Lion dance has the meaning of expelling evil and welcoming good fortune … This shows the Chinese people's longing for a better life … The most important thing in lion dance is trust between the lion's head and the lion's body. This reflects the unity embodied in China's five thousand years of history."

Song Yuan from the aerobics team said: "We hope to explore the Chinese elements and innovations in the aerobics with them, promote friendship through cultural mutual learning, and make China-US cultural exchange last longer."

The luncheon was lively, with "old friends" and Chinese visitors talking while eating. Chinese and American students chatted and took selfies together.

After the luncheon, Wang, Mi and others visited Lande's home. She showed gifts from Chinese friends, including art pieces presented by President Xi and his wife Professor Peng Liyuan. She also introduced historical photos and the "People's Friendship Ambassador" award she received in 2013.

The group also visited the "China-US Friendship House", the former Dvorchak family home where President Xi stayed in 1985. The house, now owned by Gary Dvorchak, was decorated with Spring Festival items.