A dream, you say? It sounds like you knew exactly what you wanted to do and had the courage to take the time to do it! Now, make the last three years count in the job market.

How?

For starters, did you learn anything on your Chinese journey? The language? The culture? New trends? These could be very helpful to a company that is seeking to do business in China.

Did you keep a journal? Organize your trip? Commmunications and organizational skills are in great demand whether you sat behind a desk, or sat on your backpack while traveling!

Don't sell the experience you've had, short. Just SELL IT as a holistic way to view new cultures, new ideas, and new experiences. You might also want to try a functional vs. chronological resume. A functional resume allows you to list all of the skills you have acquired, without highlighting the dates of these things.

Good luck

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As more and more young people choose to do interesting things other than graduate school or a traditional job after graduation, these types of experiences on resumes will be more commonplace. Think of yourself as a "trendsetter." I agree that a functional resume is the way to go since it highlights experiences and not dates. Did you do anything to support yourself while there? Even if you did a job totally unrelated to what you now wish to do, you can still sell the skills acquired (communication, leadership etc. in a different culture).
As with any resume, it should be tailored to the reader so you may describe your experience in China differently in different versions of your resume. Whatever you do, put a positive spin on it and don't treat it as insignificant. Best of luck.

You've only provided a thumbnail of you and your personality. There's nothing in your post about your career goals that caused you to choose your college and major. There's no information about your major or degree. Nor is there information about what type of work you were doing when you decided to chuck it all and travel through China. So I'll have to venture a guess that there was a long-held dormant goal and you took advantage of it (first explanation).

Next explanation: You've always been fascinated by the country and the culture and decided this was the optimal time to learn as much about it as possible before life became too complicated to allow that luxury.

Third explanation: As you watched the U.S.-China relationship blossom from the re-establishment of communications and business relations, you realized that China will soon become another of the world powers. To have insider insights (and not third-hand, read it in a book information) about the various socio-political nuances, dialects, socio-geographic, and economic dynamics, you could increase your business value to any organization. This sojourn provided you with the tools to help a U.S.-based company conduct more culturally astute and business-oriented relations in China.

Fourth explanation: Many business, economic and political commentators have projected that the bosom of the new economy will be based in China, India, and Malaysia. It made sense to you to be among the vanguard of those with skills in understanding their diversity and knowing who the real movers and shakers in China are.

Granted, Explanations three and four are a bit out there (as in, a bit outrageous if you don't have any other demonstrable visionary tendencies) but it is possible to pull them off if you're well read, articulate on certain critical issues especially as they relate to the type of work for which you're applying, and can offer other accurate forecasting proclivities.

Your sabbatical was not as flakey as you characterize it to be.

May all your Entrances be through the doors of success!

Seems like everyone's telling you the same thing here--I am just adding to it.

If I asked someone about a year off and they said, looking squarely in my eyes, "I've always wanted to backpack through Europe and visit China. I got the chance and had to go for it. Some may say its not the best for a resume to have gaps in employment, but I wouldn't trade the lessons I learned that year--about people and about life--for just about anything."

I think my response would be, "Very cool" And I would write down on the resume: "Determined and driven--grasps opportunity when they appear." And my chances of hiring you would go, dramatically, up.

Do you need to go to Europe/Asia for this? No! Volounteering at a local hospital or elementary school may provide the same effect, as long as its clear you brought value to people--and you became a better person for it.