“Much has been said about the politics of US-China relations these days, but the sharing of cultural and historical experiences is an area that deserves more attention,” said Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director of the Center on US China Relations, and the mastermind of the forum. “Being able to look into the worlds of our Chinese colleagues from so many points of the Chinese cultural compass will be an enormous pleasure. We hope it will provide a place of convergence rather than conflict,” added Schell, an avid sinologist.
Schell said he hoped the forum would showcase an American “cultural vibrancy” based on “openness and spontaneity.”