In August 1979, 22-year-old US student Madelyn Ross arrived at Fudan University in Shanghai and encountered a China with few material comforts. The campus cafeteria offered few options, hot water was available for just one hour a day, and classrooms were unheated.

Decades later, on a return visit to Fudan, Ross was struck by the university's dramatic transformation: new buildings, the quality of the education, the ambition of the students — and even a subway stop right at the campus door.

As part of the first groups of US students to study in China after the reform and opening-up, Ross spent one year at Fudan teaching English and studying Chinese literature. The experience sparked a lifelong dedication to fostering exchange and understanding between the two countries. She later worked with the US-China Business Council and directed China-related programs at several US universities.

Looking back on her student years, Ross recalls the intense curiosity many Chinese people had about the wider world. Locals would approach her to learn disco dancing, and her classes were often filled with lively debates. This all took place during a period when China was just beginning to open up to the world, characterized by curiosity, optimism, and a sense of possibility.

Over her half-century connection with China, Ross says what she sees as the country's biggest change is the emergence of a "new confidence".

"Each time I come back to China, I feel there's greater confidence," she observed.

At the same time, she worries that too few young Americans today have a deep understanding of China, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen educational exchanges between the two countries.

"If you don't spend significant time in China — integrating yourself into China with a Chinese institution, on a Chinese campus — you won't really understand the Chinese perspective or the society and culture. And then it makes misperceptions much easier," she explained.

"I think both of our countries need to train future leaders who deeply understand each other's country," she added.