Twenty-four years after a photograph of five blonde foreign children entering a primary school in Dongguan, Guangdong province, surfaced on a local newspaper’s front page, one of those children has reemerged in the public eye. Adrianna Rommeswinkel, now 29 and holding American-German citizenship, arrived in China as a six-year-old in 2002. Her sense of belonging in China developed gradually through everyday experiences rather than a single defining moment.

Rommeswinkel recalls simple yet meaningful activities, such as participating in morning exercises alongside her classmates, that contributed to her integration. Over time, her connection to China became less about physical surroundings and more about personal relationships. She vividly remembers moments of quiet comfort, like when her godmother offered her soup without asking questions, and how local vendors continue to recognize her childhood preferences years later.

Meanwhile, another figure connected to U.S.-China cultural and educational exchange has redefined her professional and personal engagement with China over the past two decades. Kathryn Johnson, a former teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing from St. Cloud, Minnesota, first encountered a connection to China in 1999 after the death of a child of Chinese heritage in her community. Moved to assist, she organized a fundraiser for the funeral, which sparked her students' curiosity about China. To deepen her own understanding, Johnson joined a three-week study program in China in 2000, sponsored by Gallaudet University, primarily serving deaf students. The experience proved transformative.

Following that trip, Johnson pursued a PhD focusing on deaf education in China, interviewing about 50 people including community leaders and students. Her dissertation included policy recommendations aimed at improving China’s deaf education system. Since then, Johnson has made approximately 75 visits to China and has been actively involved in fostering educational exchanges.

In 2005, Johnson joined St. Cloud State University as faculty and soon after helped organize study trips to China. Inspired by young Chinese children learning English in Xi’an, the university’s president asked her to develop a Chinese language immersion program for local schools. This led to a partnership between the university and the St. Cloud school district, launching one of Minnesota’s earliest Chinese immersion programs in 2007—part of a broader state initiative following a gubernatorial delegation to China.

Under Johnson’s leadership, the program grew to offer full immersion, with students beginning English instruction only in third grade. She frequently led delegations to China involving students, educators, and administrators. In 2014, Johnson helped establish the Confucius Institute at St. Cloud State University in collaboration with Jilin Normal University and served as its director. She integrated her expertise in deaf education into the institute’s activities, including organizing inclusive delegations and facilitating the arrival of a deaf Chinese professor to teach Chinese sign language in Minnesota.

Since retiring from St. Cloud State University in March 2026, Johnson has focused on Excellence for International Development, a nonprofit she founded. She maintains partnerships with deaf educators in China, aiming to promote leadership and identity within China’s deaf community. She is currently working with Changchun University, which educates about 400 deaf students and offers a master’s degree in art, to expand offerings into leadership development.

Johnson emphasizes the significance of people-to-people exchanges in strengthening mutual understanding. “When you meet other people, it broadens your work. The more people understand each other’s cultures, the better for U.S.-China relations,” she says, underscoring her commitment to continuing these efforts.