ABSTRACT
The Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) was conceived by President Steven Muller of Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in 1979, in the same year that the US formally recognized the government of the People's Republic of China. The concept of the HNC was similar in some ways to JHU's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Europe program, based in Bologna, Italy, which had by this time already been operating successfully for thirty years. The governments of China and the US tacitly recognize the diplomatic value of the HNC, and have thus allowed this small oasis of academic freedom to continue even at times of great international tension. Despite all the challenges that HNC has faced over the past thirty years, it can take pride in its important contributions to US-China relations. Its students acquire impressive knowledge of international economics, international politics, international and comparative law, environmental studies, American studies, and Chinese studies.
