Updated: 2014-10-03 12:58

By Liu Chang in Washington(China Daily USA)

（中国日报美国）In celebration of the institutes' 10th anniversary, scores of college students from Xiamen University performed traditional Chinese dances and music on a tour of the US east coast.

On Thursday the student performers took the stage at Ft Meade, Maryland's Meade Senior High School, whose Confucius Classrooms are under the Confucius Institute of the University of Maryland.

They come as representatives of Hanban, the executive body of the Chinese Language Council International, a non-governmental and non-profit organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China.

From Sept 26 through Oct 5, there are a total of nine performances by the group from Xiamen University.

The Bridge Friendship Grand Performance was organized by Hanban, and sponsored by the Confucius Institute at the University of Delaware, the Confucius Institute at the University of Maryland, the Confucius Institute at Old Dominion University and Xiamen University.

Confucius Institutes play an increasingly positive role in promoting the understanding among high school students of Chinese language and culture. They improve their Chinese competency and strengthen the friendship between the youth of the two countries.

Xinli Zhan, vice-president of Xiamen University, said that promoting Chinese culture and language should start in elementary schools and high schools in the US.

"It is important that children start to show an early interest in learning Chinese culture," she said.

Zhan mentioned that many high school students, after they graduate, go to China for summer camp or choose to study abroad. When those students go to camp in China, they are excited to learn about Chinese arts, such as kungfu, taichi and paper cutting, she said.

In recent years, the US has put a premium on the importance of the US-China relationship. In 2009, President Barack Obama announced the 100,000 Strong initiative, an effort dedicated to increasing the number and diversifying the composition of American students studying in China. Then secretary of state Hillary Clinton launched the initiative in May 2010 in Beijing.

John Yore, principal of Meade High School, said his son started to learn Chinese as an elementary school student, adding that he would love to send his children and students to China to take part in some cultural exchange programs with Chinese schools.

"It is a beautiful country with a rich history," said Yore.

Michael Schnitezer, who has been learning Chinese for six years, enjoyed the performance. "I really liked it," he said. "My favorite part was the dances. They are really elegant. The Chinese culture shows so much. I want to see more."

changliu@chinadailyusa.com