Reflections on the Evolution of U.S.-China Relations

Dr. Chi Wang

Left: Chi Wang with his mother, Lo Shuyi, in the early 1930s; Right: Chi Wang maternal family photo, 1948. This was the last photo of Chi Wang with his mother (third from left), who was killed by Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution.

Seven decades ago, I left my family in Beijing and began to make my way to the United States. While the decision was made quickly, with the eagerness of youth, the journey itself was much more difficult and would change the course of my future in ways I had not expected. I began my trip in a country torn apart by civil war after having only just survived Japanese occupation. Cities were rapidly changing hands, travel routes were cut off, and the base of operations for the Republic of China (ROC) government, who ultimately issued my passport, had been relocated multiple times during the course of the fighting. It took me months to finally arrive in the United States.

Tiananmen Square with a photo of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek before the People’s Republic of China was founded.

My plan had been to study in the United States, like my older brothers had, and then return to China. At my father