Since 1784, when the American ship Empress of China arrived in Guangzhou, Chinese-American relations have experienced advances and setbacks. The past century saw America"s rise to a world superpower, and in recent decades, China has increasingly asserted itself around the globe. As the Chinese economy rapidly expands, China assumes a more dominant position in world politics, and continued fruitful relations with the United States will be a primary concern for both nations in the twenty-first century. This encyclopedia contains more than 400 descriptive entries of important events, issues, personalities, controversies, treaties, agreements, organizations and alliances in the history of Sino-American relations. The work examines people and events from Chinese and American perspectives. Enhancing the entries are maps, a chronology, list of acronyms, and three appendices, offering lists of American chiefs on missions to China, Chinese chiefs on missions to the United States, and the correspondence of Wade-Giles to Pinyin.