Jespersen presents U.S. – China relations in a historical perspective

Through the decades, China and the United States have had a complicated relationship—in political, economic and diplomatic interactions. Dr. Christopher Jespersen, dean of the College of Arts and Letters at the University of North Georgia (UNG), took an audience on a wide-ranging history between the two countries, spanning the years from 1890 to 2017 as part of Georgia Highland College's (GHC) yearlong event, "Charging Across China: A Cultural Celebration."

Jespersen's presentation, titled "U.S. – China Relations in a Historical Perspective," was made at the Conference on the History, Politics, Society, and Cultural Aspects of Doing Business in China at GHC on Oct. 27.

Other topics at the symposium included "Contemporary Chinese Society," "Cultural Aspects of Doing Business with China," and "Made in China: Where Does Your Stuff Come From?"

He was invited to speak at the day-long conference based on his 1996 book, "American Images of China, 1931-1949," that was his doctoral dissertation. In 2010, it was published in Chinese by Jiangsu People's Publishing House. In addition to his book, Jespersen is editor of "Interviews with George Kennan" and an author of articles in "Diplomatic History" and "Pacific Historical Review," among other journals.

Jespersen was also recently featured in the film documentary, "Finding Kukan" by Robin Lung, which was shown Oct. 17 on the Dahlonega Campus.