Pickleball serves to build cross-cultural relations

Breathless and flecked with sweat, students from China and the United States focused intently on the court. Yellow pickleballs shuttled between them, creating an invisible bond.

From April 10 to 20, 44 teachers and students from 13 schools in Maryland of the US visited Chinese cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen in Guangdong province and Beijing. Through engaging in pickleball matches, they learned about Chinese culture and became friends with their Chinese peers.

"It's been an eye-opening experience," said Ian Skott Harper from Poolesville High School, noting that through this trip he realized that however different Chinese and American cultures are, people and the things they do can be similar.