Shi recalls that Bernstein, the first American scholar to visit Zouping, brought with him rolls of toilet paper, soap, mosquito repellent and medicine for colds and stomach ailments, because he thought Zouping was as underdeveloped as areas in rural Africa where people were poorly dressed and had little or no access to modern medication. But he found that the situation was not like what he imaged. After Bernstein returned to the United States, he wrote a report on Fengjia Village in Zouping, objectively describing the situation in the Chinese countryside.

Shi also recalled a visit by William Chang, a professor from University of Michigan, who came down with dysentery during his stay in Zouping in 1988. Members of the hosting team recommended that Chang be hospitalized, but he did not trust the county hospital and worried that he would be infected with other diseases at the hospital. He tossed in agony as he delayed medical treatment and relied on medicine he brought from the United States. But the staff at the country's foreign affairs office took him to the hospital and he recovered the same night. This caused Chang to see Chinese medical facilities in a new light, Shi said.

Locals always have warmly received American scholars when they have visited the county. Michael Oksenberg, a famous China hand, paid five visits to Zouping. He made a lot of friends in the county, from government officials to farmers, and freely chatted and drank with them. When he came to Zouping for the third time in 1991, he also brought his wife and daughter to visit his old friends.

In October 1993, Kimberley Falk, a doctoral candidate in anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh, lived in Beihe Village of Xidong Town for one and a half years, investigating local folk customs. She studied the family status and social relations of pregnant women in the countryside. She participated in various activities in the village, including weddings, funerals and various celebrations just like a regular resident. She learned about local folk customs and the local dialect. When Falk returned home in 1995, many villagers saw her off, most of whom were women.

Shi said the U.S. scholars also had brought great changes to Zouping. First, they had changed the residents' mindsets so that they became more open-minded. The scholars also offered their opinions and advice on the development of Zouping. For example, when Oksenberg paid his fourth visit to Zouping in June and July 1996, he visited 37 county government departments, talked to workers and farmers and acquired a large amount of firsthand information. Before taking off for home, he proposed many pertinent suggestions about garbage disposal and the protection of water resources. The county government adopted all his suggestions.