Impact of the Past Lecture: Rana Mitter on China’s Past in Its Present and Future

China's Past in Its Present and Future: War and the Making of a New World Order in Asia, 1937 to the Present

Beijing’s policies continue to dominate the news in the Asia-Pacific region. One question of particular urgency in the present day is: does China seek to create a new international order in Asia, replacing the structures that have existed since 1945? One crucial event that helps illuminate this question is China’s experience during World War II, in the epic war against Japan from 1937 to 1945. As many as 14 million Chinese died and 80 million became refugees during those years. This lecture will explore how the battered China of wartime became today’s superpower in the making.