In a modest apartment in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a retired couple has transformed their personal passion into a unique cultural institution that chronicles more than two centuries of China-US relations. Pan Jie and his wife, Fan Zhuhua, invested nearly all their retirement savings to establish the Hangzhou Sino-US Folk Friendship Museum — a private museum dedicated to preserving the history of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.

The museum traces its roots back to 1784, when the American ship Empress of China sailed to China, marking the first direct commercial contact between the nascent United States and the Qing Empire. Inspired by this legacy and during research for a book on Chinese exhibitions, Pan discovered a broad history of connections encompassing trade, educational exchanges, wartime alliances against Japanese invasion, and the symbolic Ping-Pong Diplomacy of the 1970s. This history, he concluded, was largely overlooked and deserved wider recognition.

Starting with their 750-square-foot home, Pan and Fan gradually assembled a collection of newspapers, photographs, books, and other archival materials documenting these exchanges. They embarked on eight trips to the United States, often relying on limited English skills and modest financial resources to access libraries and overseas Chinese communities. Over two decades, their efforts amassed sufficient materials to publish 12 books, organize 15 dedicated exhibitions, and even bring three exhibitions to audiences in the United States.

The museum journey was marked by challenges, including its early years of relocating seven times before settling in a permanent location at 419 North Zhongshan Road in 2016. Despite these difficulties, the project drew notable recognition, including correspondence from prominent figures such as former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who sent a series of handwritten letters expressing support for the couple’s mission. Letters from three U.S. presidents are also part of the collection.

Now in their late seventies and early nineties, Pan and Fan are expanding their vision beyond the museum itself. Located in Hangzhou’s Tianshui residential district — a neighborhood that includes the former residence of John Leighton Stuart, a former U.S. ambassador to China — they hope to establish a historic walking route linking the museum with other significant sites. Their broader ambition is to cultivate the area as a hub for China-US cultural exchange, potentially making Hangzhou a prominent center for international people-to-people dialogue.

Aware that they cannot manage the museum indefinitely, the couple has built a network of nearly 40 long-term volunteers to help continue their work. For Fan, this community of supporters ensures that the museum’s mission to foster understanding and goodwill between the two countries will endure beyond their own involvement.

“We believe this museum will continue," Fan said, emphasizing the mutual need among the peoples of both nations for sustained cultural connection and exchange.