The Life of Tanxu, 20th Century Chinese Monk: Author James Carter

Author James Carter discusses China’s 20th century history through the remarkable figure at the center of his new book Heart of Buddha, Heart of China: The Life of Tanxu, a Twentieth Century Monk with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations on May 7, 2014. The Buddhist monk Tanxu surmounted extraordinary obstacles and foreign occupation to become one of the most prominent religious figures in China. Mingling bold nationalism with his own belief in China’s cultural and social traditions, Tanxu experienced the fall of China’s last empire, descent into occupation and civil war, and its eventual birth as a modern nation. Dr. Carter’s book gives first-person immediacy to one of the most turbulent periods in Chinese history. James Carter is professor of history at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and holds a Ph.D. in modern Chinese history from Yale University. The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations is the leading nonprofit nonpartisan organization that encourages understanding of China and the United States among citizens of both countries.