Despite tensions between the Chinese and American governments, the state of California has deep and interdependent socioeconomic exchanges with China that reverberate across the globe. Matt Sheehan examines these interactions that make California a microcosm of the most important international relationship of the twenty-first century.
Wills, John
1936-2017
History, USC
January 1, 2007
John E. Wills, Jr., “Jack” to all his friends and colleagues, was born in 1936 in Urbana Illinois. After a B.A. from the University of Illinois and service in the U.S. Army he earned an M.A. and Ph.D. at Harvard University under the supervision of John K. Fairbank and Yang Lien-sheng. He has been married to Carolin Connell “Connie” Wills since 1958; they have five grown children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
From 1965 to 2004 Wills taught Chinese history and the history of the early modern world at the University of Southern California. His research on maritime China and its connections with the early modern maritime world has led him to archive and library research in China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Netherlands, England, Spain, and Portugal. He is the author of over fifty articles, including two chapters in the Cambridge History of China, of several research monographs and edited volumes, and of two works for the general reader, Mountain of Fame: Portraits in Chinese History (1994) and 1688: A Global History (2001).
Wills passed away at 80 in 2017.
Featured Articles
October 22, 2019
September 25, 2019
Panelists examined the issues driving the protests in Hong Kong, the social composition and motivations of the protesters and counter-protesters, and how the various sides are using media to reach local, mainland and international audiences.
Events
November 7, 2019 - 4:00pm
Los Angeles, California
The USC U.S.-China Institute and the USC East Asian Library present a screening of Daughter of Shanghai, a documentary featuring actress Tsai Chin talking about her life, scenes from the films and series she has starred in, and footage of celebrities talking about Tsai’s influence on them.
November 14, 2019 - 4:00pm
Los Angeles, California
The USC U.S.-China Institute invites you to a presentation with Patrice Poujol on how blockchain technology changes the way films are financed, produced and distributed in China.