Trade war tensions were left at the door as 200 people gathered for a cultural exchange with a group of ordinary Americans living in the capital
On a cold December night, hundreds of Chinese citizens queued outside the American embassy in Beijing.
They were not there for a US visa, but to attend an event organised by the Beijing American Centre, which is located inside the embassy and regularly hosts cultural activities.
The cold weather and long queues for security checks before they could enter the building did not deter them from the event, which featured several American speakers sharing their experiences of migration.
They were not high-flying business executives or wealthy expatriates. They included a teacher, a podcast host, and a documentary filmmaker, and they were there to talk about living as migrants in China.
Their audience of about 200, ranging in age from their 20s to over 50, included many people who also live in Beijing as migrants, having come to the capital from many different parts of the country.
