The Opening-up of the People's Repbulic of China

In 1980, I was lucky to be selected by the United Nation to take on a teaching responsibility and to visit China. In 1981, I repeated the visit, taking my family with me. Not only did we get the opportunity to visit the "Bamboo Curtain" but we had a wonderful chance to meet a number of Chinese intellectuals during our stay. In 1984, there were two Wuhan University Chemistry Professors, one Physical Chemist and another in Analytical Chemistry who applied to visit our Department at ETSU. Of course, we were honored to have them. They could take advantage of the fact that Dr. Ho and I could speak Chinese, for their convenience. They came to our small town at the end of 1984 and spent one whole year with us. The picture below, showing the four of us, was taken by the University photographer in the room holding the department's Liquid-Chromatographer machine, after they arrived on campus. Their last names are Lin and Yin. This arrangement proved to be a good beginning for our many years of exchanges!