In this article, the author shares his experience in teaching a course called "American Political Theory" at Nanjing University in Nanjing, People's Republic of China. The course the author designed was intended to explore the philosophical background of what drove the North American colonists to declare their independence; what ideas informed the writing of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights; and what models competed in determining the state envisaged. Although his professional training is in philosophy, the author was teaching the course under the auspices of the History Department at Nanjing University. The course presented two sets of challenges. One set might be considered "technical" challenges in actually delivering the course content. The second set resides in the traditions, history, and culture of China, and the radically distinct conception of the state they presuppose. Here, the author deals with the technical challenges, before taking up the more difficult issues of those presuppositions. (Contains 1 figure and 11 notes.)