You've heard the numbers: With 1.3 billion people, China is the world's most populous country. With 3.7 million square miles, it is physically the world's fourth largest. And its economy, at more than $2.25 trillion, is the fastest growing. All of this makes China one of the most-watched players on the world stage. As the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies officially celebrates its 20th anniversary this month, and with the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies having proclaimed this the "Year of China," we thought we'd take a closer look at China's transformation — and at Johns Hopkins' ongoing involvement with it. In this three-part package, you'll get a taste of daily life in Beijing through the eyes of the university's president and his wife, who spent two weeks there last summer; the story of the physics professor without whom the Hopkins-Nanjing Center might not have happened; and a crash course in some of the most pressing issues facing China — and the world — today.

The Hutong Diaries
By William R. Brody

Professor Chien, Diplomat
By Maria Blackburn

20 Questions: China Edition
By Jim Duffy