"China has changed so dramatically. I have visitors from America and they're always shocked," said Einar Tangen, an American commentator on current affairs, at the Symposium on the Future of China-U.S. Relations on May 21.

He noted that what most impresses his American friends is the friendliness of Chinese people, the country's safety, and its remarkably advanced transportation systems. After experiencing China firsthand, many of them become eager to learn more carefully and extensively.