Speakers:

Mengtong Guan, Senior Producer for Artistic Programming,  Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

George Hong, Professor, Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education, Fordham University

Emily Wilcox, Associate Professor of Chinese Studies, Modern Languages and Literatures, William & Mary

Guoqi Xu, Professor, Department of History, University of Hong Kong

Moderator: Qin Gao, Professor and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education, Director of China Center for Social Policy, Columbia University School of Social Work

Culture and sports exchange has played crucial roles in U.S.-China relations throughout history. Given the current tense U.S.-China relations and in celebration of WEAI’s 75th anniversary, it is important and timely to hold a panel discussion on the role of cultural exchange in the history of U.S.-China relationship and draw implications for the future. This event is a panel discussion involving four panelists from different disciplines, including three scholars and one practitioner. 

Among the panelists, George Hong, Professor, Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University, will discuss Peking opera diplomacy and Mei Lanfang’s visit to the U.S. in 1930; Guoqi Xu, Professor of History at Hong Kong University, will discuss sports and U.S.-China relations during 1969-1980; Emily Wilcox, Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at William & Mary, will discuss the role of dance in U.S.-China relations from the 1950s to the present; and Mengtong Guan, Senior Producer for Artistic Programming at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, will discuss U.S.–China exchanges in performing arts in current days. 

This talk is part of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute's 75th anniversary policy event series "From the American Century to the Pacific Age."  Learn more about WEAI's 75th anniversary.