Scholar highlights need for China-US people-to-people exchanges

During his visit to the exhibition, Allison carefully examined historical photographs, documents, and artifacts, tracing the centuries-old interactions between Chinese and Americans.

He said the collection offers a crucial reminder that the two peoples have long engaged each other in constructive ways. "As the museum suggests, we are people-to-people — American and Chinese have engaged each other; there's a long history of successful contributions to a better world," he said.

However, Allison expressed concern about the recent decline in people-to-people exchanges, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think that's bad, and I think that the aspiration to get back to where we were before and even more is a good lesson for all of us," he said.

He stressed that direct engagement — whether among students, academics, business people, or ordinary visitors — is far more effective than speculation.

"Almost all those disagreements are better handled by people talking to each other and understanding each other, rather than imagining what the other might be doing, or might be thinking, or might be saying," he added.