When we set out to draft the Pengyou Manifesto, our goal was to convey our mission in a way that would excite, energize, and inspire those who read it. We wanted to highlight what made the people who come to live, study and work in China special, and show them how important their experiences are.

For inspiration in writing our Manifesto, we looked towards a few notable sources. First was the U.S. Constitution, which inspired our opening lines: “We the Pengyous of the United States and China, in order to form a more perfect world, ensure global tranquility, and promote mutual understanding between two great nations: hereby establish this PENGYOU MANIFESTO.”

We also frequently look towards Apple’s “Think Different” campaign for inspiration. It celebrates, in Apple’s words: those “who are crazy enough to think they can change the world.” We firmly believe that young Americans in China can change the world, because they see things differently. They can re-imagine and re-shape the future of the US-China relationship.

And of course, we had to include some of our favorite phrases from our Project Pengyou trailer video. Our actions, insights, knowledge and passion will make a difference!

During “Pioneer Journeys,” our Beijing launch event, we asked guests to read our manifesto and sign it if they wanted to join us in our mission. As you can see, many of them did – including U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke!

To read the full manifesto, click on the first featured image above!