Lawrence K Wang
Wang, Lawrence K. (2026). U.S.-China Relations: The Book That Traveled Twice In Memory of Dr. Ifay F. Chang (1942-2026) and in Hope of Peace Under Heaven (天下太平 ); "Evolutionary Progress in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics," Lenox Institute Press, MA, USA. 8(9A), 33 pages. ....... ABSTRACT: This short article has two closely connected purposes: first, to remember and honor our old friend Dr. Ifay F. Chang; and second, to promote the Chinese ideal of 天下太平 (Peace Under Heaven) as a universal aspiration for humankind. It is a work of life writing centered on a twice-inscribed copy of Chang's U.S.-China Relations: Mainstream and Organic Views (2015). The volume first traveled from Chang to his relatives Jimmy and Lina Yip, who received an autographed copy from him in 2023. After Chang's death on May 26, 2026, Jimmy and Lina signed their own names in that very same physical copy and, in August 2026, gave the book to the author and his wife, Dr. Mu-Hao Sung Wang. In that second journey, a political book became something more: a memorial object carrying the handwriting, affection, and memories of several intertwined friendships. The story also recalls Chang's path from National Cheng Kung University to the University of Rhode Island, his 31-year career at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, his work in telecommunications and information systems, his teaching and academic leadership, his contribution to Singapore's developing information-technology education infrastructure, and his later writing on U.S.-China relations. Rather than attempting a comprehensive geopolitical analysis, the article asks a more personal question: what can friendship contribute when nations are divided by rivalry, fear, and mistrust? The answer is modest but enduring. Political disagreements require rigorous analysis, yet they need not erase human respect. The conviction the author draws from Chang's writing can be stated simply: war is not inevitable. The article concludes with three poems: (1) a bilingual Preface Poem "Friendship, a Book-Bond, Humanity, and Peace" 《友情・書緣・蒼生・太平》; (2) an elegy for Chang "The Book That Traveled Twice"; and (3) and the author's bilingual poem "Peace Under Heaven" 《天下太平是全人類的企盼》. The first fulfills the purpose of remembrance; the second expresses the purpose of peace. Together, prose and poetry transform a small act of giving into a reflection on memory, intellectual continuity, and the hope that 天下太平 can serve not merely as an old Chinese phrase but as a shared human ideal across nations, generations, and cultures. Keywords: Ifay F. Chang; U.S.-China relations; 天下太平; Peace Under Heaven; world peace; life writing; inscribed book; friendship; memorial; National Cheng Kung University; University of Rhode Island; IBM; peace studies; Sino-American relations