An American student in Beijing: "show up in person, tell stories instead of arguing"

Her argument

Speaking at the 2026 China Study Abroad Forum in Beijing, a US citizen studying at the University of International Business and Economics encouraged more American students to come to China for face-to-face exchange. She referenced Yung Wing, the first Chinese student to graduate from a US university more than 170 years ago, and drew a direct lesson from his experience: discomfort and uncertainty — the often awkward spaces — are exactly where the most important work happens.

She described arriving in China with preconceptions formed by films, food and social media, and finding a far more complex reality.

What she found

Her account of the difference is concrete: strangers asking where she is from, professors staying after class because of genuine enthusiasm, and classmates studying with a seriousness she had not anticipated. Her conclusion is that the real China "can only be experienced, never fully understood through books".

She urged her peers to show up in person, to tell stories rather than argue, to accept the role of cultural bridge-builder and to remain patient in people-to-people exchange.