Boothe was assisting with the grand opening of Epcot at Walt Disney World in Florida and, through his connections, the Shanghai Song and Dance Troupe was invited to perform at the event in Orlando in 1982. After the performance, the Chinese group stopped in Utah and stayed with the members of the Young Ambassadors group for about 10 days, and performed in major theaters in Salt Lake City and at the Marriott Center at BYU.

Stephen Jones, a professor of music composition at BYU, went to China with the Young Ambassadors for the first time in 2005. What he calls a "life-changing experience" led him to continue to strengthen the relationships and propose various collaborations with the China Performing Arts Agency.

Jones was among four composers from both China and the US to put on a concert in Beijing titled Sky Mountain Light World, a collaboration between the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the BYU Chamber Orchestra. BYU's Chinese flagship program, which has a Chinese-language course, includes an overseas experience complete with regular language coursework at Nanjing University.

The BYU-Hawaii/Polynesian Cultural Center Asian Executive Management program in Hawaii has welcomed participants from China since the program began with the first six trainees in 1981.