NPR correspondent Rob Gifford, author of Elon University's 2010-11 Common Reading selection China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power, will speak Tuesday night for the Common Reading Lecture. The book describes Gifford's 3,000-mile journey across Route 312 from Shanghai to China's western border with Kazakhstan.
Elon Common Reading Lecture with Rob Gifford, author of China Road
Alumni Gym, Koury Athletic Center, 7:30 p.m.
Gifford first went to China in 1987 as a 22-year-old language student. He has spent much of his professional life studying and reporting from China. From 1999 to 2005, he served as Beijing correspondent for NPR, and traveled all over China and Asia reporting for “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” He was NPR’s London correspondent from 2005 until this summer when he returned to China as Shanghai correspondent.
Gifford reported his adventure through the cast of characters he met along the way: in the factory towns of the coastal areas, in the rural heart of China and in the Gobi Desert. He saw the signs of a booming economy and the hope of those leaving their homes in search of a better existence. He recognized many of the historical and cultural frailties that have re-appeared as social, economic, and political fault lines which may hinder China’s rise.
Gifford’s visit is hosted by the Elon Common Reading Program. Each year, a reading is selected to challenge students, faculty, and staff to examine the local and global worlds they inhabit. The reading and related programs aim to encourage critical reflection about important issues and invite personal consideration of how individual actions can affect these issues.
General admission tickets are available at the Center for the Arts Box Office. Ticket price is $12 or free with a valid Elon ID.