China, once a weak and impoverished country, has undergone a tremendous transformation rarely seen in human history. 

It's reinvigorating itself, re-emerging as a major economic powerhouse. It's also opening up and interacting with the world like never before. What has happened since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949? How has the country engaged with the world in the last 70 years? 

This first episode of "Common Destiny" — China and the world in the last 70 years, retraces the path China has taken, examining how it has influenced and has been influenced by the world.

This installment highlights people-to-people exchanges. In the early days of the People's Republic of China, the country was, for the most part, secluded from the outside. Few Chinese had the privilege to go abroad. 

Today, with more wealth and freedom of mobility, more and more Chinese are able to travel abroad, making 140 million trips overseas annually. Still, China's development has attracted massive inflows of foreign visitors as well.

This story recounts the lives of several Chinese people who travel, study and work overseas, as well as foreigners who are building their careers in China. It also explores China's infrastructure and policy innovations that further facilitate these cross-border and cross-cultural exchanges.