John Israel is well known for his writings on students and higher education in Twentieth Century China. Professor Israel conducted research in Taiwan and Hong Kong (1959-1962, 1973) and in the People­­­’s Republic of China since 1980. Following normalization of US-China diplomatic relations, he became the first post-1949 American resident professor in Kunming. Over the past four decades, he has lived and studied in China – particularly in Yunnan province – for extensive periods. John in emeritus professor of history at University of Virginia