In the 16 months since my wife Becky passed away, I’ve done lots of solo traveling in the United States and Asia. 

Travel is incredibly therapeutic for my soul. It’s as if my personal bubble of humanity is floating freely in the universe, bumping into countless others and sharing their lifestyles, food, entertainment and values. Sometimes, like the soap bubbles you blow out of a wand, yours finds such commonality with others that you merge with them to form bigger ones. This can be transformative.

I imagine that’s what happened in 1979, when Newton teacher Claire Kanter and Jingshan, China, teacher Fang Bi Hui met in Beijing and began planning the Newton-Beijing Jingshan School Exchange Program. No doubt, their personal bubbles intersected in the belief that world peace depends on people finding ways to experience each other’s universes—devoting time to understand lives and cultures rather than concocting artificial reasons to clash. 

Student/teacher visits started in 1985, paused for five years starting in 1989 after the violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, and then resumed. 

We in Newton should be extremely proud that the Newton China Exchange is, after almost 50 years, the oldest ongoing student exchange program between public schools in the United States and China. In spite of forces now working in opposition to such noble efforts, Newton’s exchange continues to move forward.  Jingshan School administrators will visit this fall to participate in our district’s Thrive26 professional learning day on November 3. Newton students will travel to Beijing in March, and Jingshan  students will arrive in the fall of 2027. 

In 1974, my wife Becky earned a masters degree in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan, with the express purpose of bringing appreciation of Asian cultures to the high school classroom. After a couple of years in Japan, we came to Newton in 1977. Shortly thereafter, Becky began her 40-year career at Dover-Sherborn High School. 

Our daughter Arjana attended Newton’s Lincoln-Eliot Elementary School, where we came to know Carolyn Henderson, a teacher closely associated with the Newton China Exchange. Becky’s Asia bubble merged with Carolyn’s and made her determined to start a similar exchange at Dover-Sherborn. 

It was 2002 before the countless pieces were in place, many of them facilitated by The China Exchange Initiative, an organization created by Carolyn and the late Charlotte Mason, another Newton teacher. The Dover-Sherborn-Hangzhou High School Exchange continued beyond Becky’s retirement in 2018.  But sadly, the disruptions caused by the pandemic took their toll, and the exchange is now defunct.

One could ask why these kinds of exchanges are necessary, especially with a country like China. Our irrationally xenophobic leaders embrace isolationism and ridicule globalism. We’re told to regard China as our number one enemy, not as a necessary partner in tackling the big issues of our time—a mindset being pushed, sadly, by both American political parties. To promote global understanding and cooperation rather than isolationism means having to deal with incredible headwinds. 

In about 2010, Becky and I sat on our living room couch surrounded by the visiting Chinese delegation. We discussed China’s incredible economic transformation since the beginning of the exchange program just seven years before and weighed the possibility of future animosity between our two countries as a possible consequence.

The earnestness of that discussion, coming from a position of friendship and respect on all sides, remains firmly anchored in my memory. Without the Dover-Sherborn China Exchange, it would never have happened. It justified the entire program. 

Because of the DS-Hangzhou Exchange, Becky and I made deep, lifelong connections with many teachers, students and administrators over our 15-year connection with it.  

In general, the students from both sides had a deep interest in exploring one another’s cultures and discovering realities beyond the headlines incessantly pushed by each country’s media. It was also clear that most students from Dover and Hangzhou came from extremely similar socioeconomic strata, from families of above-average means and privilege. 

I’m sure this was similar for the Newton-Jingshan Exchange. Admit it or not, the likelihood of these students ending up in high-profile positions in business and government has probably been far greater than the norm, with the impact of their exchange experiences deeply affecting their decision making.

The darker times we discussed and feared that evening are now here. With the Chinese mastery of the application of modern technology to everyday life, especially through AI and robotics, there are certainly many issues our two countries have to resolve. One thing is for sure: China’s power and influence is here to stay, and we need sensible strategies to ensure peaceful coexistence. Closing our doors and assuming a national fetal position doesn’t cut it. 

Newton, Dover-Sherborn and other school systems like Brookline should take immense pride in having had the vision to start a better approach decades ago. Through their China exchanges and Chinese language programs, students, teachers and administrators have been given a head start in preparing our students for today’s realities. Their efforts should be applauded and receive our undying, continuing support. 

I dedicate this article to the tireless efforts of teachers everywhere who make global understanding a priority.

To learn more about the Newton-Jingshan Exchange, please visit:https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/departments-programs/newton-beijing-jingshan-school-exchange-program

Andris Vizulis is a Newton neighbor, indefatigable traveler and technology futurist. He can be reached at avizulis@gmail.com.