"Judaism in China," Subject of Lecture at Williams College
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass - Williams College will welcome Dr. Pan Guang, director and professor of the Shanghai Center for International Studies, on Wednesday, Nov. 12. He will give a public lecture on "Jews in China: Legends, History, and Perspectives," in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall at 8 p.m. The event is sponsored by the President's Office and the Program in Jewish Studies.He is the author of numerous articles and books including "The Jews in Shanghai," "The Jewish Civilization," "2003: U.S. War on Iraq," and "The Jews in China." The last is a photographic record illustrating four historical migrations of Jews to China: Yuan dynasty Jews in Kaifeng, mid-nineteenth century Baghdadi merchants in Shanghai, early 20th-century migrants from Russia, and mid 20th-century refugees from Nazi Germany.
His awards are many and include the James Friend Annual Memorial Award for Sino-Jewish Studies, the Saint Petersburg-300 Medal for Contribution to China-Russia Relations awarded by President Putin, and the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Award.
He also serves as academic director of the Institute of European and Asian Studies at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, director of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, dean of the Center of Jewish Studies Shanghai, and vice chairman of Chinese Society of Middle East Studies. He was nominated by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations in 2005. He is a council member of the Asia Society in the U.S.
Guang acquired his B.A. at Renmin University in Beijing, and received his Ph.D. at East China Normal University in Shanghai.
