China Then and Now
VIEW EVENT DETAILSIn conversation with:
Nicholas Platt, author of China Boys; former U.S. Ambassador and senior diplomat; and President Emeritus, Asia Society
The Asia Society Hong Kong Center will mark the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon's historic 1972 trip to China (February 21-27) with this discussion with Ambassador Nicholas Platt. Ambassador Platt accompanied President Nixon on the week-long visit, which signaled the resumption of relations between the two nations. The following year, he was stationed in Beijing upon the opening of the U.S. Liaison Office, the forerunner of the U.S. Embassy in the PRC.
Asia Society President Emeritus, a world-renowned China specialist and author of his memoir China Boys: How US Relations with the PRC Began and Grew, Ambassador Platt will talk about life in China in the early 1970s, along with excerpts from his "home movie" footage of the Nixon trip, family and diplomatic events, and readings from his memoir.
Ambassador Nicholas Platt
After a 34-year Foreign Service career, Nicholas Platt served for 12 years at the helm of the Asia Society before becoming President Emeritus in 2004. Trained in Chinese at the State Department Language School, he began his career in Asia as a China Analyst at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong from 1964-68. He served in Canada and Japan, and as U.S. Ambassador to Zambia (1982-1984), the Philippines (1987-91) and Pakistan (1991-92). Educated at Harvard College and The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, he is a member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations, a board member of the Friends of China Heritage Fund Limited, and Chair of the U.S.-China Education Trust Advisory Board. Ambassador Platt and his wife Sheila have three grown sons: Adam, a writer; Oliver, an actor and Nicholas Jr., an investment banker; and eight grandchildren. His memoir China Boys was published in 2010.