What are some historical connections between Georgetown University and China?

Georgetown's Charles Denby, a student from 1841-1844 and honorary degree recipient in 1885, was appointed Minister to China by President Grover Cleveland in 1885. He served until 1898 and is one of the longest serving U.S. envoys to China since the first U.S. envoy was appointed in 1843. Denby was an influential arbiter between China and Japan during the Sino-Japanese War in 1895.

In 1979 Georgetown's American Language Institute hosted 26 exchange students from the People's Republic of China for intensive English language courses. The courses were intended to enable the students to go on to conduct independent research at various institutions in the U.S. The Georgetown contingent of students was part of a larger group of over 500 Chinese professionals and scholars, in the fields of science, medicine and engineering. They were the first such group to visit the U.S. following the establishment of the People's Republic of China.