QINGDAO -- Eight students from Grenada, the southernmost island nation in the Eastern Caribbean Windward Islands, visited Yangjiashanli, a demonstration area for rural vitalization in Qingdao, Shandong province on Feb 9.

Together with villagers, they participated in a series of traditional Chinese folk activities such as writing couplets, writing blessings, making paper-cuttings and pasting couplets, immersing themselves in the warm atmosphere of the Chinese New Year. Some wielded brushes on red paper, some sat around the stove experiencing traditional Chinese tea ceremonies and others stood around a round table cutting window flowers.

In Huangnixiang village, the students exchanged ideas with children and villagers, enjoyed the literary and artistic performances, and presented a wonderful performance for the local people by singing Chinese songs such as Friends and Grenadian songs such as Happy Birthday Grenada.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, the students joined the villagers in making dumplings, setting off firecrackers and watching the popular CCTV Spring Festival Gala, experiencing the most traditional Chinese New Year customs.

The students visited local villagers' homes to experience the most authentic Chinese-style New Year greetings on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year. "Happy New Year!", the students greeted the locals in standard Chinese, bringing blessings from across the ocean.

In September 2023, Grenada's Red Mud village established a friendly village relationship with Huangnixiang in Yangjiashanli, which is the first international friendly village in Shandong.