Jinan had gone from what Samuelson described as "a charming, 'little,' very Chinese city" of several million to a population of nearly 6 million, complete with McDonalds, Pizza Huts and Super Wal-Marts, where inside the latter were rows of kiosks offering the latest technological gadgets of mobile phones, pagers and hand-held devices.

The rapid development in all Chinese fields — from engineering and entertainment to architecture and athletics — is an overall product of what Samuelson saw in his medical involvement there.

The Chinese have brought in international experiences and skilled specialists, while also sending their best and brightest students and professionals out into the world for increased training and exposure to the latest advancements.

The result has been a shortened learning curve for the Chinese as well as their rapid ascension in the various fields.

The noticeable changes throughout the country and city are paralleled on campus as well.

Returning to Jinan last year and accepting the invitation to provide lectures, Samuelson asked university foreign affairs representative to arrange for Chinese translation of his presentations. She responded that all the students would understand English — and he even held a lively question-and-answer session afterward.

"I was surprised not only how much they knew of the United States but how many knew of Brigham Young University, too," said Samuelson, who had asked how they gained their knowledge.

"They simply 'Googled' Brigham Young University," he added, recalling one man who knew enough that he wanted to attend as a student but admitted he was a longtime smoker. "He knew all about the Honor Code and all those kinds of things."

It was a far cry from Samuelson's first venture into Jinan — his lectures had to be translated from English into Chinese, and no student had the faintest idea where Utah was located on a map.

Now, the overall knowledge and command of English of the current crop of Chinese students impresses Samuelson. "I was surprised at even how many stream BYU-TV on their computers," he said.

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E-mail: taylor@desnews.com