In the 1970s, when the United States and the People’s Republic of China sought to build diplomatic relations, there was no established path to follow for either government or the people. At that time, it was not certain that a remarkable relationship could be established in the following decades. Despite this, a path has been opened and become wider and wider, attracting flocks of people. This was way beyond anyone’s imagination when the two countries established formal diplomatic relations on January 1, 1979. In fact, the interaction between the two countries have grown from the few carefully arranged high-level official meetings to frequent visits of people in business, science, academics, politics, tourism, and daily life. And now, people have become accustomed to this. Although the path blazed by our predecessors is not smooth and can be tortuous from time to time, it has contributed to the prosperity of the two countries and even the global community through humanistic, ideological, information, cultural and commercial exchanges.

Today, the future of this bilateral relation is not yet clear. The path we choose to establish will have a profound impact on the United States, the People’s Republic of China, and the people around the world. Even if we are still dedicated to protecting the ideas and interests of our own countries, we still have the responsibility to keep in mind the influential consequences for future generations as we move forward.

The exhibition is organized by Meridian International Center with the support of the US Embassy in China. The photos on view reflect many aspects of the exchanges between the two countries. I hope the exhibition will remind the viewers to look back on the past as well as to think about what images we have to show 40 years later, that is, the 80th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The thorny road ahead is waiting for us to explore the unlimited possibilities.