A Compelling Journey from Peking to Washington depicts the extraordinary childhood and experiences of Chi Wang, whose father was a high-ranking official in China's Nationalist government from the 1920s through the 1940s. His father was instrumental in many political changes that took place in China in the first half of the 20th century. Wang came to the United States in 1949, after the Chinese Civil War and World War II. He spent two years learning English before studying agriculture at the University of Maryland with the intention of returning to China. Due to the outbreak of the Korean War, Wang was unable to return to China after graduation and, before he knew it, his life was on a very different path. A teaching opportunity at an institute run by the State Department opened many new doors. Soon thereafter, Wang was offered a temporary position on a project at the Library of Congress, which he enjoyed so much that it became his career. During his tenure, Wang earned his Ph.

D. from Georgetown in history and managed to build up the Library's Chinese collection from a mere 300,000 to 1.1 million volumes. This story is an individual's account of important events that have occurred in China and in U.S.-China relations over the last three-quarters of a century. Wang's family background, unexpected emigration, coming-of-age in the United States, and experiences in academia and policy-making make this a story for diverse readership. Book jacket.