In June 2007, a trip to China was undertaken by a joint delegation consisting of three subgroups: individuals from North Carolina State University (NCSU), from the Research Triangle Park and Wake County in North Carolina, and from EDUCAUSE. Each group had a goal of exploring relationships in its respective community in China: higher education, business, and IT. Over twelve days, the delegation visited six universities in China--Peking University, Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, China Agricultural University, Fudan University, and Zhejiang University--as well as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and two research parks. Spending twelve days in China reminded the author of many of the fundamentals of higher education that they can so easily take for granted in the United States. One is the importance of higher education in improving an individual's opportunities and standard of living. The author states that education leads to social mobility for individuals, as well as to economic vitality for countries. Education also opens societies to understanding and new options. Furthermore, she states that even with the numerous similarities between the higher education institutions of the two countries, the United States can learn many lessons from China, just as it can from Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. Observing the practices and listening to the plans of colleges and universities in these countries, sometimes reconfirms existing beliefs, and sometimes leads to the discovery of something new. Either way, there is much value in observing and listening. (Contains 14 notes.)