When the deeply Confucian and culturally Orthodox literati of Beijing and Shanghai first encountered Catholic missionaries in the late Ming dynasty (1368-1644), China and the West inaugurated several centuries of uneasy dialogue and intercultural adjustments. Dr. Anthony E. Clark, Edward B. Lindaman Chair in Chinese History at Whitworth University, presents a talk on the turbulent Catholic history in Beijing and Shanghai as those two cities entered modernity and were later transformed into the pivotal centers of Chinese Communist rule. Presented in collaboration with the Asian studies Program, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures