Natural History and Cultural Rebirth: Insights from China and Taiwan

Wednesday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Online via Zoom

Join us for an insightful presentation on the geological and natural history of mainland China and Taiwan, presented by Professor Markes Johnson, Professor Emeritus of Williams College, and moderated by Jock Whittlesey, former Foreign Service Officer. This session will explore the evolution of  China from 1900 and the impact of changing leadership style from Mao Zedong to Deng Ziaoping.  We'll delve into professional geological expeditions to mainland China and comparisons with Taiwan, highlighting the challenges faced by mainland China due to the depletion of iron ore and petroleum reserves. Discover the network of geoparks in mainland China and Taiwan, showcasing extraordinary natural history, including feathered dinosaurs in northeast China and the world's oldest fossil fish from southern China. Additionally, we'll observe the gradual changes in daily life and the rebirth of cultural and religious traditions in China. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge and appreciation of our shared geoheritage.   We look forward to seeing you there!

Markes E. Johnson is the Charles L. MacMillan Professor of Natural Science, Emeritus, at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where he taught courses in historical geology, paleontology, and stratigraphy in the Geosciences Department over a 35-year career. His undergraduate education in geology concluded with a BA degree (1971) from the University of Iowa. His advanced training in paleoecology through the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago culminated with a PhD degree (1977). Beginning as a graduate student in Chicago, Johnson was attracted to the sparse literature on the geology of mainland China but the opportunities for academic exchange were slim during the 1970s.  After coming to Williams College, he made his first research trip to China in 1983 with support from the National Science Foundation.  Transportation for ordinary people was overwhelmingly by bicycle, men and women wore the same Mao jackets in either military green, or civilian blue or grey.  State-sponsored work brigades (the iron rice bowl) was the standard for employment.  But long-held traditions such as the Dragon-boat races on the Yangtze River dating from more than two thousand years ago were well intrenched.  Over the ensuing years, Johnson made several professional trips to China including a 2023 trip to Taiwan.  His research on earlier explorations by outsiders to China include the 1918 expedition financed privately by Robert Sterling Clark (founder of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown).  Johnson is the author of Islands in Deep Time (Columbia University Press 2023), which includes descriptions of his field studies around the world, including South Korea, China, and Vietnam. 

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Ticket information:

Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC members and $15 for the general public.

Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.