Dialogues and Exchanges — We suggest creating, enlarging, and encouraging many, many more opportunities for in-person dialogues, civil discourses, and exchanges such as:

• For American Students and Young Adults Abroad — Encourage many more American students to study Chinese language and history, and to travel to China. U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns recently pointed out that the pandemic and travel restrictions have reduced the number of U.S. students in China from a high of 9000 to 382. And as John Thornton has pointed out, “Currently, knowledge about China at the elite level is slim.” There is a great need. Encouraging American students to get to know local Chinese residents and learn their customs, and to participate in established programs such as the Peace Corps or Fulbright Fellowships, will deepen their experiences in China.  

• For Chinese Students Studying in the U.S. — It is an encouraging sign that the number of student visas granted to Chinese students to study in the U.S. are inching upward again. For the 2022-2023 academic year, there are approximately 300,000 Chinese students in the United States, 3000 of them at the University of Minnesota alone. We will create opportunities for them to get to know American families. We have found that many Chinese students, upon completing their four years of studies here and ready to return home, had never set foot in an American home. Communication does matter, as was borne out in a recent article in the South China Morning Post that describes the reactions of a group of Chinese students from the premier Tsinghua University in Beijing who had visited the U.S. The visit made them realize “that there was much China could learn from America and that there were more areas of shared concern than they believed existed. For them, curiosity and pragmatism outpace distrust … and in-person engagement matters.” https://sc.mp/009z?utm_source=copy-link&utm_campaign=3238757&utm_medium=share_widget

• For American Adults and Seniors — Encourage more tourism exchanges and private volunteering opportunities in China and seek interactions with Chinese visitors here at home. Encourage lifelong learning at continuing education institutions such as Osher Lifelong Learning Initiative at the University of Minnesota. Encourage and commission the creation of many more new works in the arts by mainstream and community cultural institutions, or create opportunities at various cultural or community centers, to showcase the splendor of the cultural heritage of either the U.S. or China.