In 2001, an American spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet, killing the Chinese pilot and halting a wide range of cooperative efforts. Jessica Chen Weiss, a Stanford student studying in Beijing at the time, was struck by the conflicting stories in the Chinese and American media and dismayed to see tensions heightened by mutual suspicion. She returned to Stanford and founded FACES in the fall of 2001, joined by students who shared her belief that for the United States and China to be a force for peace and prosperity, both countries must learn to trust and understand each other.

FACES recognized that university students make ideal young ambassadors in that they are at once educated and open-minded. The insights and connections they gain through early international experiences will only become more significant as they emerge as future leaders in business, government, academia, and journalism.

On Common Ground began as one conference of thirty delegates in 2003 at Stanford and since has expanded to include a second conference in Beijing and a collaborative project. In 2005, FACES founded chapters at Peking University in Beijing, Fudan University in Shanghai, and Renmin University in Beijing and today has plans for continued expansion.