A US guest sits in a brightly decorated bridal sedan chair in Hehe Culture Park Nov 1. [Photo/WeChat account: sxtiantai]

Thomas Henry praised the richness and inclusiveness of Hehe culture on Tiantai Mountain. He said he believes the culture's concepts of harmony, inclusiveness and diversity are in line with the US spirit of freedom, equality and fraternity.

He added that the concept of harmony plays a significant role in promoting peace, cooperation and mutual benefit between China and the US, and in advancing the integration of civilizations from the East and West.

The friendship story of the poet, Han Shan, and the monk, Shi De, has been widely spread through many generations. The two people are highly respected in Taoism, Buddhism and among the general public.

Han Shan and Shi De have long been symbols of Hehe culture, and Tiantai Mountain was the birthplace of the culture after Emperor Yongzheng honored the men as the "two saints of Hehe".

In the 1950s and 60s, Han Shan's poems were spread to the US where hippies regarded him as a spiritual leader and their originator.

The story of Han Shan further narrowed the cultural distance between the Fort Wayne delegation and Tiantai county.