Students from Brigham Young University perform songs, dances and basketball stunts at Beijing's Tianqiao Theater in May as part of the Spectacular 2019 tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of BYU's first tour of China.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"The audience was so appreciative, and they started clapping along and singing… and we knew we were opening a door with the Chinese people in a way, in terms of our American music and dance, sharing some of what was happening in the United States from an artistic standpoint," Boothe adds.

More China tours soon followed.

The BYU group performed for more than 28,000 people in concert halls, factories and universities across China. In every city, big crowds came to watch. Some shows were broadcast on China Central Television. Many Chinese people learned about BYU that year, and for years it was the most recognized American university in China.

"In China, you have a saying about valuing old friendships. It was very clear from my first visit as we returned the very next year in 1980," Boothe says.

"When we came back in 1983, that was an interesting year because there were some strains between the two governments at that time. Lots of famous tours from Chicago and New York to China were canceled. We were the only group allowed to visit China that summer because we were old friends. There was a feeling of trust."

Since 1979, BYU performing groups have returned to China more than 30 times, while exchanges of various kinds have been strengthened.