Young Voices at the Washington Chinese Culture Festival

YOUTHTALKS YOUNG REPORTER SERIES

At the 24th Washington ChineseAt the 24th Washington Chinese Culture Festival, three YouthTalks reporters—including two junior reporters—stepped in front of the camera to explore the celebration through interviews and firsthand observations. They spoke with visitors, public safety officers, and cultural booth representatives about Chinese traditions, festival experiences, cultural connections, and the meaning behind traditional handicrafts.

Reported by Melissa Shen，Shelly Zeng，Jessie Li ， Caitlyn Xu
YouthTalks Young Reporter · Team 3，5

Washington DC 2026 Chinese Culture Festival Youth Talks Interview – Police Officer and Young Lady

YouthTalks Reporter: Melissa Shen

During the Summer, I went to a Chinese Culture Festival located in Washington. There I was working as a reporter for a group called YouthTalks. I stayed there from 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon, which allowed me to try different foods and activities, and interview people.

The festival was huge with multiple rows and food stalls. At the festival there wasn’t a single place without people there, so safe to say it was quite lively. There were many interesting things to see and do. I saw people wearing traditional Chinese clothing from different ethnic groups, and I watched several cultural performances. The music, dancing, and colorful costumes made the festival feel very warm and special.

One of the most interesting parts of my day was interviewing people for my SSL project. I interviewed a police officer and also talked to someone who had lived in China for two years. I asked them about their experiences and what they thought about Chinese culture. The police officer explained that going to this festival allows him to better understand Chinese Culture rather than going to China because he felt more comfortable and connected here in Washington, and that he enjoyed coming. The young lady, on the other hand, said that attending the festival reminded her of her time in China and that she would definitely come again. Their answers helped me learn more about China from different perspectives and better understand their points of view.

Of course, I also got to try lots of different food and drinks! I ate Chinese skewers and tried lemonade and boba. Everything was really fun to try, and the food was one of my favorite parts of the festival. There were so many different choices that I could have spent the whole day just trying different things.

I also enjoyed walking around and looking at the different cultural displays. It was interesting to see how many different traditions and activities were represented at the festival. Since I was there for several hours, I had enough time to slow down, explore, and talk to different people.

By talking to people and experiencing the festival myself, I gained a better understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture and how it is shared with the community.

Overall, being a reporter at the Chinese Culture Festival was a great experience. It was a fun and meaningful way to spend the day, and I was glad I had the opportunity to be a reporter.

2026年中国文化节 YouthTalks 采访——警察与年轻女士

YouthTalks 小记者：Melissa Shen

今年夏天，我参加了在华盛顿举办的中国文化节，并担任 YouthTalks 的小记者。我从上午9点一直待到下午3点，这让我有充足的时间品尝不同的美食、参加各种活动，并采访现场来宾。

文化节规模很大，现场有好几排美食摊位。整个会场到处都是人，气氛非常热闹。现场有许多有趣的活动和精彩的内容。我看到人们穿着中国不同民族的传统服饰，还观看了多场文化表演。音乐、舞蹈和色彩鲜艳的服装，让整个文化节显得格外温馨而独特。

这一天最有意思的经历之一，就是为我的学生服务学习（SSL）项目采访现场来宾。我采访了一位警察，还与一位曾在中国生活过两年的人进行了交流。我询问了他们的相关经历以及他们对中国文化的看法。

那位警察表示，参加这个文化节让他能够更好地了解中国文化。与亲自前往中国相比，他觉得自己在华盛顿参加这样的活动更加自在，也更容易产生亲切感。他还说自己很喜欢参加这个文化节。另一位年轻女士则表示，参加文化节让她想起了自己在中国生活的时光，并说以后一定会再次参加。他们的回答让我从不同的角度进一步了解中国，也帮助我更好地理解他们的观点。

当然，我还品尝了许多不同的食物和饮料！我吃了中式烤串，还喝了柠檬水和珍珠奶茶。尝试这些美食非常有趣，而美食也是我在文化节上最喜欢的部分之一。现场的选择实在太多了，感觉我一整天都可以用来品尝各种不同的食物。

我也很喜欢在会场四处参观，欣赏不同的文化展示。看到文化节呈现出如此丰富的传统文化和活动，让我觉得非常有意思。因为我在现场停留了好几个小时，所以有足够的时间慢慢参观、认真探索，并与不同的人交流。

通过与人们交谈和亲身体验文化节，我对中国文化有了更深入的了解和欣赏，也更清楚地认识到中国文化是如何在社区中得到分享与传播的。

总的来说，在中国文化节上担任小记者是一次非常宝贵的经历。这既是一种有趣而有意义的度过一天的方式，我也很高兴自己获得了这次担任小记者的机会。

Team 3 ( Jessie Li, Jaden Liu, Mellissa Shen, Caitlyn Xu, Shelley Zhen ) with Police officer

What I Have Learned from the Festival

Reported by Jessie Li

I had a wonderful time attending the 24th Annual Washington Chinese Cultural Festival as a young news reporter. I learned many interesting things about Chinese culture, traditions, and history. I enjoyed watching traditional dances, listening to music, and seeing beautiful Chinese art. I also learned that food, music, and festivals can bring people from different cultures together.

As a reporter, I interviewed an American mom with two kids from Washington, DC. Mom told me that her kids are currently learning the language and culture at a local Chinese school and they were having a great time and was excited for the parade and kids want to play ping pong. They said that they will attend the festival again next year. This interview helped me to become more confident when talk to new people. I also learned that being a good news reporter means asking thoughtful questions, paying attention, and sharing what I learn with others.

Beyond this, I also went through different booths to learn Chinese traditions such as delicate paper cutting (known as jianzhi). Master artisans showed how a single sheet of red paper could be carefully folded and sliced with simple scissors to reveal symmetrical designs. The student learned that these window flowers feature lucky symbols like the Chinese zodiac animals.

Moreover, I experienced the elegant calligraphy and learned how to hold specialized ink brushes to paint sweeping, graceful lines on long rolls of rice paper. I am happy to receive my personized Chinese name bookmark by the masters. Many participants eagerly collecting stamps at each stop to take home a special commemorative gift.

After interview, I tasted traditional cuisine including steamed stuffed bun and Chinese milk tea for the lunch.

This festival taught me that culture is an important part of who we are. I am happy that I had the chance to learn about Chinese culture and share my experience with others.

我从文化节中学到了什么

YouthTalks 小记者：Jessie Li

作为一名小记者，我非常高兴能够参加第24届华盛顿中国文化节。在文化节上，我了解了许多有关中华文化、传统和历史的有趣知识。我欣赏了传统舞蹈，聆听了音乐，还观赏了精美的中国艺术作品。我也认识到，美食、音乐和节庆活动可以把来自不同文化背景的人们连接在一起。

作为一名记者，我采访了一位来自华盛顿特区的美国妈妈和她的两个孩子。这位妈妈告诉我，她的孩子目前正在当地的一所中文学校学习中文和中国文化。他们在文化节上玩得非常开心，也十分期待观看游行，孩子们还想体验打乒乓球。他们表示，明年还会再次参加文化节。

这次采访让我在与陌生人交流时变得更加自信。我也了解到，成为一名优秀的记者，需要提出有意义的问题、认真倾听，并把自己学到的内容分享给他人。

除此之外，我还参观了不同的文化展位，学习了剪纸等中国传统艺术。剪纸也被称为“剪纸艺术”（jianzhi）。手工艺老师向我们展示了如何将一张红纸仔细折叠，再用普通剪刀进行裁剪，最终呈现出对称而精美的图案。我了解到，这些被称为“窗花”的剪纸作品中，经常会出现十二生肖等象征吉祥的图案。

此外，我还体验了优雅的中国书法，并学习了如何正确握毛笔，在长长的宣纸上写出流畅而优美的线条。我很高兴收到书法老师为我制作的个性化中文姓名书签。许多参加者也兴致勃勃地在各个展位收集印章，完成后可以领取一份特别的纪念礼物。

采访结束后，我品尝了传统美食，包括包子和中式奶茶，作为当天的午餐。

这次文化节让我认识到，文化是我们身份中非常重要的一部分。我很高兴有机会学习中华文化，并把自己的经历分享给更多的人。

Shelly Zhen interview with folk costume performer

More Adventures at the DC Festival!

Reported by Caitlyn Xu

Today, our YouthTalk group went to the super cool cultural festival in Washington DC. This time, our goal was to interview tons of different people, like customers, shop owners, and even a police officer!

First, I interviewed a lady wearing a beautiful, traditional Chinese dress called a HanFu. I asked her what she liked best about the festival. She smiled and said she loved how people from many different backgrounds all came together to celebrate the culture. She also told me she really loved looking at all the different Chinese clothes people were wearing.

Later on, I interviewed another person who was wearing a super pretty dress. I asked her what foods she liked the most at the festival. She said everything looked totally delicious, but she hadn’t tried any yet because she just got there! Then I asked what else she liked about the festival. She said it was really cool how some stands were run by big families, and other stands were run by groups of friends.

It was another really fun day. I learned that festivals are a great way to bring people together tocelebrate who they are!