Reflections on China and America from a college classroom in Guangzhou to the steam room at the YMCA. After teaching in China for 5 years the author returns to a changed America, gripped by political turmoil.
A few brief excerpts:
"They were MSU students who had recently arrived in the US. I remarked to them that this was the start of the Chinese Century. One of them began to tell me that Chinese New Year isn't for several weeks yet. Another said 'We know that. But how do you know?'"
"China has been restrained, held-back, humiliated and exploited by Western powers for most of the last 200 years. China has now stood up on the world stage. They fought a revolution to get there."
"In another neighborhood, I passed dealerships selling Rolls Royce, Ferrari and Bugatti automobiles. Communism appeared not to have greatly dampened the demand for luxury cars or the need to compete in the "Who's Got the Biggest Salamander" contest."
"For me a single comment on the news captured the dire passage about to unfold. They were interviewing people after they voted in the South Carolina primary. A White middle-aged woman came up with this: 'We didn't have no racism around here before Obama.'"
"I guess I was supposed to feel reassured. This was a real job unlike the scams where foreigners are hired to non-existent positions and then left stranded in the countryside until money is paid. He assured me that working here, most likely, I would not get kneecapped for giving a poor grade to the son of some important person."
"In response some Chinese people are 'lying flat' (Tangping - 躺平), choosing not to have a car or a condo, refusing to marry or have children. They might consider another of Yogi Berra's sayings: 'If the people don't want to come out to the ballpark, nobody's going to stop them.'"
"One student said that when she was in high school, she became friends with a girl whose mother was a Xiǎo Sān. Translated, these words are 'little three'. The actual meaning of the phrase is 'mistress, ' 'second wife, ' 'concubine'. Pick your favorite euphemism."
