Happy Lunar New Year from the USC US-China Institute!
Book Talk: "China Watcher-Confessions of a Peking Tom"
Richard Baum, distinguished UCLA political scientist discusses his just published memoir.
Where
![](https://china.usc.edu/sites/default/files/styles/event_node_featured/public/events/featured-image/baum_1_0.jpg?itok=xbbyS8lG)
Click here to watch video of Prof. Baum's USC presentation.
China Watcher-Confessions of a Peking Tom
This audacious and illuminating memoir reflects on 40 years of learning about the People's Republic of China through China watching — the process by which outsiders gather and decipher official and unofficial information to figure out what's really going on behind China's veil of political secrecy and propaganda.
China Watcher has just been published (March 1, 2010) by the University of Washington Press.
Richard Baum is distinguished professor of political science at UCLA. He directed the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies from 1999-2005. He serves on the USCI Board of Scholars and has served on many editorial boards (China Quarterly, China Information, Asian Survey, and The Journal of Contemporary China among them). He is author and editor of eight books on Chinese politics and numerous articles. During his 35 years on the faculty, he has held visiting scholar or professor appointments in China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
Prof. Baum's recent work concerns (1) the impact of China's post-Mao reforms on local governance in the PRC; (2) globalization and political institutionalization in post-reform China; and (3) US-China relations and the prospects for war and peace across the Taiwan Strait. As a media commentator, Professor Baum shares his expert knowledge of Chinese Politics with CNN International, the BBC, NPR, the Asian Wall Street Journal, South China Morning Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Voice of America (VOA).
Professor Richard Baum gave a talk on the political impact of China's information revolution at USC in 2007. A link to the article can be found here.
RSVP appreciated, but not required: uschina@usc.edu.
Baum (second from right, standing) as a member of the Inter-University Program basketball team in Taipei, 1967. |
Baum, sitting beside Hua Guofeng, the future Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, 1975. |
Baum and other China specialists meet with President George H.W. Bush at Camp David in 1989. |
Baum at Gubeikou, a part of the Great Wall, about 140 km from Beijing. |
Featured Articles
We note the passing of many prominent individuals who played some role in U.S.-China affairs, whether in politics, economics or in helping people in one place understand the other.
Events
Ying Zhu looks at new developments for Chinese and global streaming services.
David Zweig examines China's talent recruitment efforts, particularly towards those scientists and engineers who left China for further study. U.S. universities, labs and companies have long brought in talent from China. Are such people still welcome?