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[Pages S214-S215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO DR. CHI WANG
Mr. RISCH. Madam President, today I wish to honor the long and
distinguished career of Chi Wang, Ph.D. The year 2018 marked the 90th
anniversary of the creation of the Chinese Section at the U.S. Library
of Congress in 1928. Dr. Wang spent nearly 50 years working at the
Library of Congress, ultimately serving as the head of the Chinese and
Korean section until his retirement in 2004.
Dr. Chi Wang came to the United States from China as a high school
student in 1949. He completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in
the Washington, DC, area, ultimately earning a Ph.D. in American
diplomatic history from Georgetown University in
[[Page S215]]
1969. He also began pursuing his own American dream by becoming a U.S.
citizen, getting married, starting a family and starting a career at
the Library of Congress.
Dr. Wang worked for 3 years at the State Department's Foreign Service
Institute before starting at the U.S. Library of Congress. He served in
several positions during his 47-year career at the Library and reached
the position of head of the Chinese and Korean section in 1975, which
he held until he retired. During his tenure, he expanded the library's
Chinese collection from 300,000 volumes to more than 1 million. Under
his guidance, the Library of Congress became a top resource for the
study of China in the United States. Dr. Wang met with countless U.S.
Representatives, Senators, officials, and academics to help them
effectively use the Library resources.
After President Nixon traveled to China in 1972, Dr. Wang embarked on
a trip to China in his role at the Library of Congress to promote
library and educational exchanges. The trip was a great success,
leading to future exchanges, large book acquisitions, and an increase
in mutual understanding between the U.S. and China during a very
delicate time when the two countries were only just beginning to
establish ties.
Although the Library of Congress Chinese section was abolished and
its collection integrated into the larger Asian division, the legacy of
the Chinese collection and the contributions Dr. Wang made to develop
this important resource still remains. His efforts over the years have
helped deepen the U.S. understanding of China, something that is
especially necessary today. Professor Wang continues to dedicate his
time to improving U.S.-China mutual understanding as the cofounder and
president of the Washington, DC-based nonprofit, the U.S.-China Policy
Foundation. He also contributes his own scholarship in the field,
having published multiple books and articles on U.S.-China relations.
Dr. Wang still remembers fondly his decades working at the Library of
Congress. What started simply as a job turned into a career and
lifelong passion. He especially enjoyed the times he met with various
Members of Congress.
As we, again, face a challenging time in U.S.-China relations, the
resources and information available in the Library of Congress can help
in providing increasingly useful information in understanding the
complex and ever-changing U.S.-China relationship.
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