Retired U.S. educator Ronald Sakolsky has established a foundation dedicated to promoting educational exchanges between China and the United States and plans to bring 50 American teachers and students to Luoyang, Henan province, in March 2027.

He shared the news during a video conversation with Chinese sand-control pioneer Yin Yuzhen and Bai Fan, principal of the Luoyang No 2 Foreign Language School Education Group, at the 27th China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education (CACIE 2026), held recently in Beijing.

Earlier this year, Sakolsky returned to China after more than two decades and reunited with Yin, whom he had once supported in her efforts to combat desertification. Their story touched many people and became an inspiring example of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.

China has announced a new plan to invite 100,000 young Americans for exchanges and study over the next five years.

Sakolsky said his foundation was established on Oct 1, China's National Day, with the aim of working with the China Education Association for International Exchange to build bridges and promote international educational exchanges.

Young people in both countries are eager to connect, he said, adding that the foundation would organize various exchange programs to create more opportunities for face-to-face interactions.

"As a history teacher, I believe we cannot truly understand the world through textbooks alone. Books only tell you what their authors want you to know. You need to experience the real world by yourself and step outside the environment you are familiar with," Sakolsky said.

He explained that this is why he has long aspired to become what he calls a "laonei" rather than a "laowai." The former describes someone familiar with and integrated into local Chinese life, while the latter is a common Chinese term for a foreigner. He said he wanted to learn to live, eat and go about his daily life like Chinese people, believing this was essential to truly understanding Chinese culture.

"In the world we live in today, we must find ways to coexist. We are part of a global village and need to find ways to communicate and build bridges between countries," Sakolsky said.

Young people in China should recognize that their American peers share the same aspirations, including the hope for a peaceful world, he added. To achieve this, China and the United States should focus on common ground rather than on their differences.