Chongqing - On November 14, the launch ceremony for the Second Sino-US Youth Bird-Friendly City Innovation Contest and the “Eagle City” Public Birdwatching Festival Exhibition, hosted by the Chongqing Luhai International Communication Foundation, was successfully held at the Chongqing Foreign Language School (Central Park Campus).

This year’s contest aims to encourage young people from China and the United States to observe and explore urban biodiversity, create original works, and participate in exchange programs and exhibitions. Through these efforts, the contest seeks to foster deeper connections between Chinese and American youth, expand collaboration among social organizations and schools in both countries, and jointly promote the construction of bird-friendly cities.

The Second Sino-US Youth Bird-Friendly City Innovation Contest Launch Ceremony. (Photo/Chongqing Luhai International Communication Foundation)

The inaugural contest laid a solid foundation for this year’s event. Through dual competition zones in China and the U.S., thematic visual exhibitions, a bird-friendly school network, and youth exchange programs, the first edition engaged 50 schools and 15 social organizations from both countries. More than 5,000 young participants took part, unleashing remarkable creativity in ecological protection among the younger generation.

Known for its diverse birdlife and rapidly advancing urban ecological planning, Chongqing provides an ideal setting for efforts that bring young people closer to nature and inspire innovative approaches to bird-friendly cities.

Building on these achievements, the second contest has drawn renewed energy and anticipation. At the ceremony, Wang Jun, Acting Principal of the Chongqing Foreign Language  School, delivered onsite remarks, while U.S. legislators, partner schools, and student representatives sent their greetings via video. Guests from China and abroad shared their hopes for the youth participants, encouraging them to lead society in protecting birdlife and fostering harmonious urban ecosystems.

The Second Sino-US Youth Bird-Friendly City Innovation Contest Launch Ceremony. (Photo/Chongqing Luhai International Communication Foundation)

“We hope that more young people will take part in the creation of bird-friendly cities with a spirit of co-creation, co-building, and shared benefit,” said Chen Can, Deputy Secretary General of the Chongqing Luhai International Communication Foundation. “Through their imagination and artistic expression, youth can showcase the ecological wisdom underpinning China’s high-quality development.”

Hu Hanwen, a senior at Chongqing Foreign Language School and First Prize winner in the high school video category of last year’s contest, spoke as a youth representative. Looking back on his experience, he shared how closely observing the natural world deepened his appreciation for its beauty and motivated him to encourage more classmates to join campus birdwatching efforts. “A better future,” he noted, “is one in which people and birds thrive under the same open sky, where young people grow alongside nature, and where—even across borders—we continue working together for the clarity of that shared sky.”

Looking ahead, the contest will continue to advance themes such as bird-friendly campuses and bird-friendly cities. A series of programs, including calls for submissions, thematic exhibitions, interschool exchanges, and ecological dialogues, will be rolled out to promote mutual learning between Chinese and American youth in ecological conservation and cultural exchange. Together, they will tell vivid stories of harmony between humans and nature, contributing youthful energy to building a shared future for humanity.