The Greatest Story on Earth: Journey Into China: Prelude to an Odyssey
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| Welcome to the Future: East Nanjing Rd., Shanghai, People's Republic of China |
In the Autumn of 2002 I dreamt of China.
As a Senior at Princeton, I used to badger the Executive Director of Princeton-in-Asia, an employment placement program, to deliver me to the Middle Kingdom. She had a position available in Hangzhou, an ancient capital and the lakeside home of poets, artists, and royals.
My mind overflowing with Chinese philosophy texts, the whimsical pithy maxims of Chaung Tze, and my romanticized watercolor images of ancient “Middle Earth,” I yearned for China.
It wasn’t to be. For a variety of reasons- including tropical weather, a higher salary, and access to surfable waves- I set out for the Republic of China (Taiwan) instead.
That’s a different story, but the point is that I never made it to the People’s Republic of China, the Mainland, Zhonguo Dalu. From my perch in Taiwan, I studied the history, the language, the arts, the music, and the people of Chinese civilization; indeed, I was immersed in an extremely Chinese culture in Taiwan. Yet in the year I lived in Taiwan, 2003-2004, there were no direct flights to China, as relations between the countries were chilly. I never made it to China.
I did travel unforgettably to Hong Kong, but Hong Kong is a a historical and cultural city-state, even though it is nominally and politically part of China.
After a year in Taiwan, I decamped for Hawai’i in 2004. China continued to exercise its inexorable force on my imagination, but I never found a chance to visit. My knowledge of Mandarin deteriorated; my studies of the country became more casual. My priorities changed.
In June 2013 I finally set foot in China. On a stopover to India, my new fiance and I walked the streets of Shanghai for a few hours. We drank bubble tea, strolled the Bund, befriended some curious Chinese youth, and I played yo yo with a cheeky young girl. It was too brief, too superficial, and too harried to be considered a significant visit. We were gone eight hours after we arrived, as fast as the Maglev speed train could carry us.
On Election Day, November 4th, 2014 on my sixth hour into a 14 hour stretch running a poll station in Lahina, Maui, I received a call from my school principal. “Nothing’s wrong,” he said, “but please call me.”
I nervously returned the call, and here’s what he said:
“Would you be interested in attending a marketing tour in China? Neither the Headmaster nor I are able to make it, but we think this could be a good opportunity to share our school with potential boarding students..”
My heart stopped. This was it, my chance to return to a land I never really knew, yet always wondered about.
“Yes, absolutely. I’m in.”
“Great, you’re leaving in a month.”
Thus began my personal discovery of modern China.
Nice read Andrew, thanks. Looking forward to the next ones.
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