Anna Chan Chennault And China’s Reform And Opening-up Policy (1980-2000)

Anna Chan Chennault is one of the most representive and outstanding women in the Overseas Chinese history. She was born in the purple and grew up in turbulent times. In 1947, She was married to General Claire Chennault. Since then, she played a key role among people from different levels in United States, mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Also, she has made huge contributions on China’s Reform and Opening-up. This article is based on around 20,000 archives from Zhejiang University,using materials such as autobiographies and memoirs of Anna Chennault. It is aimed to achieve a better understanding on the question that how the Overseas Chinese such as Anna Chan contributed themselves to China’s reform and opening up.As an outstanding social activist, Anna Chennault has a wide range of social network which contains people from United States, China and Southeast Asia, from politicians, professional groups to the general public which turned out to be very valuable for her during China’s reform and opening up.Since 1980s, Anna Chennault has visited lots of cities of mainland China to promote China’s Reform and Opening-up. She made a balance between the national interest and the reform and opening up policy. Her efforts to promote the reform and opening up covers almost every aspect. For example, in terms of politics, she played a important role in improving the China-U.S.relationship, breaking the diaphragm on both sides of the Taiwan straits. In terms of economy, efforts were took by her to develop the civil aviation, promote the tourism in the mainland, lead the overseas investment to China mainland and accelerate the development of Hai’nan island. And it is also from these aspects that the life of Anna Chennault and other Overseas Chinese were tightly connected to the process of China’s reform and opening up. Above all, this article takes the social network of Anna Chennalut and the areas that she visited from the time and space as a window to have a deep look at the interaction between China’s reform and opening up and Anna Chennault and other Overseas Chinese in every social aspect.