Southern Utah University celebrates anniversary of Helen Foster Snow Cultural Center

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Southern Utah University has hosted a celebration to mark the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the Helen Foster Snow Cultural Center, a platform to promote Chinese language and culture.

During the celebration held on Wednesday, both U.S. and Chinese students gave performances, while learners of Chinese language shared their experiences, highlighting the center's mission to foster cultural exchange and inspire connections.

The center is named after Helen Foster Snow, an American journalist who reported from China in the 1930s. She was wife of Edgar Snow, the author of Red Star Over China.

"Helen Foster Snow was a great example of working across cultures and ideologies, and building bridges and borders to find common ground and to help us find a place where we can celebrate humanity together and gain a deeper appreciation for our differences," said Mindy Benson, president of Southern Utah University, in her address.

"Helen Foster Snow can be a great example for us at Southern Utah University and within our community to follow. She can be a beacon of an example to build bridges of understanding and learning," said Benson.

Born in Cedar City, Helen Foster Snow left for China in 1931 and helped document the revolution in China.

"As beloved and revered in China to this day, she was a journalist and author, a humanitarian and a bridge builder," Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson told the audience through a prepared video.

"Before World War II, the United States didn't have much of a relationship with or understanding of the political climate in China. Helen's eyewitness account of turbulent war and revolution in the 1930s influenced the United States' perception of China," she said.

Citing former U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah, Henderson said, "Helen Foster Snow's life stands as a reminder that what lies behind the very different political systems of the world are real people whose hearts and minds are not so far apart."