Even though I was born after China officially opened up to the world, it was still perceived as a land that was closed off to the outside. Growing up I would hear news reports on China or the Chinese and they would be presented as a collective mass of people instead of individuals I could relate to. Despite more trade and communication developing between the west and China, it was still a place that was misunderstood. Our views of China as children were shaped by terms like “Chinese fire drill,” “Chinese riddles,” and “Chinese whispers.” This presented the country and its people as different, mysterious, and chaotic at times.

In 2012, the death of a close family member left me reexamining my life and my view of the world in general. Having never left the United States, I felt that traveling abroad would provide the fresh perspective that I needed. I decided on China when choosing a destination; it was place completely different from everything that I knew in my life. I made my plans and bought my ticket. Many people in my family tried to discourage me. All of the warnings, although well intentioned, reflected the problem of our understanding of the country; people attempting to paint over one billion people with the same brush. My mind was made up, and I boarded the plane in the summer of that year.

When I arrived, it seemed that all my ideas of China were proven true. Stepping outside revealed massive crowds, speaking a language I didn't understand and doing things in a way that seemed odd to me. I spent three months on my first visit to China touring the entire country. Of course, as time passed and the initial shock wore off, things began to seem much more routine and mundane. During this trip I made numerous friends and got to have a more intimate view of China. That's when I started to realize that things are not that different from the west. We all want the same things in life; we want to feel secure, we want our families to be taken care of, and we want to be loved and appreciated.

When I returned to the US, I shared my experiences with my friends and family. In all of my anecdotes and stories I tried to drive home how similar we are as people. The Chinese wake up and go to work each day, they do the dishes, and take out the trash. Life on the other side of the world basically functions much like it does in the United States. China's opening up to the rest of the world for tourism and travel may have been the most effective act to increase understanding with the rest of the world. The more people that can travel to China, meet the people, experience the daily life, and observe the way society functions, the more that people can stop seeing the country as a strange and mysterious place.

Some people will say that China's reforms allowing foreign investment were the most important change to occur in the last forty years. Their argument has merit when you look at the sheer number of people that have been lifted out of extreme poverty. However, I will argue that China opening up to travel and tourism has been even more important. Without Chinese traveling abroad and others visiting China, our understanding of each other would still be dictated by media portrayals. During these times of trade tensions it is more important than ever to remember the people on both sides of the argument. We are not faceless nations trying to exploit one another, but only people that are just trying to provide for their families and provide a better future.

Jake Tilleman has spent most of his life in Colorado where he received his bachelor's degree in Economics from Colorado State University. He first traveled in China during the summer of 2012 and fell in love after that. He has lived in Wuhan with his wife and son for the last five years. His hobbies include drinking tea, watching baseball, and following current events.