CHINA IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

In late August I participated in a very unusual but fascinating conference in Los Angeles. It was sponsored by the Ahmansons, a prominent local family with an intense interest in China and Christianity. They brought in me to talk about the rise of Christianity in China, academics like Mayfair Yang and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, as well as Howard French and the writer Qiu Xiaolong, to talk about very different aspects of China–religion, History, social issues, its relationship to Africa and so on. Later they opened a fantastic modern chinese art gallery. I was so impressed at their intellectual curiosity–they really know how to spend their money! Not too many wealthy spend their money to slake an interest.