The Nature of Civilization:On USA–Crazy Too

American universities saw their first wave of young Chinese students in the mid and late 1980s. Shen Qun， one such graduate， authored USA – Crazy Too， published by Fudan University Press， which recounts his personal experience – studying， hunting for jobs， and working in the United States， most of which was typical of Chinese students of the era.

I suspect the book was so titled for marketing purposes， hoping to capitalize on Chinese readers’ increasing patriotism after the country’s rapid economic development. Many readers are eager to point out as many flaws of the United States as possible to elevate China， and the book emerged to feed the demand.

Is anything really crazy in God-blessed America？ The adjective in the title may be a bit of a stretch， digging for millennia-old clues to explain how China may replace the global economic leader someday in the future.

As a matter of fact， the“crazy” here just refers to cultural， political， and ideological differences between China and the United States. More accurately， the Chinese come off as “special”in comparison to “crazy” Americans. The author cites bosses taking advice from underlings， the dispensability of governmental institutions and universities without fences. Even the ability to receive a refund for any reason is considered “crazy” to Chinese people.

Shen was admitted to the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Peking University at a transitional time， 1979， and represents many who realized American dreams in the era. The implementation of the economic reform and opening-up policies in the late 1970s put an end to the chaotic “cultural revolution”which lasted a decade. During Shen’s four years at Peking University， the United States and the People’s Republic of China formally established diplomatic relations， and Coca-Cola was soon introduced into China. Blue jeans became popular at Peking University， which has been known for freedom and inclusiveness. American country music and literature became en vogue for many Chinese youngsters. American publications about politics， philosophy and culture were systematically translated. Perhaps most incredible， with hindsight， was the fact that in Haidian District， where Peking University is located， deputies to the People’s Congress were elected just like in the United States. Overnight， declarations of candidacy and notices of speeches began appearing on bulletin boards. Candidates representing students became the talk on campus.

Over the ensuing several years， Chinese people， particularly young intellectuals， became greatly influenced by American goods， culture， and ideology， fueling a wave of American dreams for many college students like Shen Qun.

It became normal to overhear young Chinese youngsters talking about plans to go to the United States， a country of freedom， democracy， and equality， where everyone had a shot at their dreams， which in turn could make a difference back home. They took the TOEFL test， saved money， quit sought-after jobs， and bid farewell to their loved ones， embarking on a trek to their personal New World， exactly as depicted in Shen’s book.

Prior to his departure， Shen was earning a good salary as a journalist at China National Radio， a state media outlet. He wasn’t satisfied settling into that career， though. In 1989， Shen passed the entrance exam for the postgraduate program in radio and television at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

He arrived in summer. He felt lost due to severe culture shock. In Exodus， Moses freed the Israelites from the Egyptians and led them to the promised land of milk and honey. During 40 years of hardship in the wilderness， many regretted leaving and longed to return to Egypt where there were ensured adequate food and clothing despite oppression. God punished those who lacked strong will and rewarded the faithful， eventually taking them to Israel， the promised land.

Shen Qun and other dreamcatchers suffered the hardships of life far from home and endured everything for a dream rather than the will of God. “Everyone who comes here falls in love with this tract of land and is paid with generosity，” he wrote. “Maybe the United States is about trust and worth， a blessing from God beyond human comprehension.”

Maxim Gorky （1868-1936）， a Russian literary giant， once took the position of a bakery employee to argue with a group of philosophers. “What I hold comes from stewing skin and flesh， which is more powerful than that held by philosophers，” he asserted.

Shen’s recollection of the details of his American life radiates seemingly ridiculous yet reasonable， humanistic and universal values in the New World of the West， while underscoring a social ethos， dated but pragmatic， unique to the great empire in the East.

The differences are everywhere. Here are some examples：

Material. “Upon my arrival， I suddenly felt much less bothered by a shortage of material， a feeling I had felt since childhood，”he described. “For instance， I no longer worried about taking toilet paper wherever I went because the bathrooms were always stocked with plenty.”

Relationships. “I didn’t have to endure the relentless scowl of moral disapproval from both the teacher and the class upon occasionally showing up late. You just sit down quietly and join the class and no one notices.”

Trust， self-esteem and dignity. “While shopping， I don’t have to spend a lot of time making choices – you can return anything within 30 days regardless of the reason， including the wrong size or quality problems.”

Forgoing profound theories， the author recounted personal experience to show that shared human nature between contrasting civilizations persists everywhere regardless of a state’s social system， government form， history， and ideology. It is this shared nature that has drawn peoples from all circumstances around the world to strive together for common goals.

“Both China and the United States have provided infinite possibilities for Shen Qun’s personal development，” opined co-chair of the China-US Business Summit.“Shen has contributed remarkably to cultural communication between the two countries through his personal struggles.”

Indeed， the torture of culture shock didn’t alienate the author from his own culture. Rather， it drew him closer to the strange culture through observation， comprehension， adaptation， and inclusion， as he pinpointed commonalities of the contrasting cultures and eventually transcended their limitations， serving as a perceptive cross-cultural ambassador.

USA – Crazy Too

By Shen Qun （US）， Fudan University Press， August 2010

Shen Qun digs deep into contemporary “crazy”American society and its civilization after 20 years of personal experience living in the United States. He employs detailed stories， depicting a vivid picture of American life and sharing his insight on American culture in simple language.

The author went to the United States to study in 1989. In 1991， he received a master’s degree in communication at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Shen taught at Pomona College， a private university in the U.S.， and served as Chairman of the China-US Business Summit. Since the 1990s， he has been committed to exchange between China and the United States in sectors of culture， economics， and trade through such campaigns as Lantern Festival in Los Angeles， Sino-American Film Festival， and China-US Business Summit. Moreover， as an international movie producer， he has produced a number of multinational movies， TV dramas， and documentaries.

Childhood Memories of Borneo

By Li Yongping， Shanghai People’s Publishing House， July 2014

Two wanderers meet in Taipei， a boy from Borneo and a girl from Taipei， and share their childhood memories. Li Yongping， a writer currently teaching at National Dong Hwa University in Hualien， Taiwan， recounts his childhood in the semiautobiographical Child- hood Memories of Borneo， structured around its heroine， Zhu Ling.

“It is a trilogy combing my childhood in Borneo，” explains Li. “I have felt so released since completing the book. Sometimes I feel like owe someone something or an apology， but can’t find a way to make it happen. I have no idea where they are. I say ‘sorry’ with this book， which is there forever.”

Born in Kuching in Borneo， Malaysia in 1947， Li Yongping graduated from the Foreign Languages Department of Taiwan University and acquired master’s and doctoral degrees in comparative literature at State University of New York and Washington University in St. Louis， respectively. He has successively taught at National Sun Yat-sen University， Soochow University， and National Dong Hwa University.

Over the last few years， Li has published several books， such as The Son of Borneo and The End of the River， and translated a number of others， such as A Bend in the River， An Area of Darkness， The Solitaire Mystery， and The Brooklyn Follies.

Southern Metropolis Daily， a mainland Chinese newspaper， commented， “Home is always an ‘a(chǎn)ffair’ for such a writer who grew up in southern Asia and was nurtured by Chinese culture. With passion for his motherland， he dreamed of going to China’s mainland when he was a child but eventually chose Taiwan due to the “cultural revolution.” During his twilight years， he found himself longing for a return to his native land， Borneo. His nostalgia runs deep throughout his stories. His life dream has never come true because he fears that his motherland may not be the one he expects.”

Old Stories of Villas on Lushan

By Fang Fang， Guangxi Normal University Press， September 2014

Old Stories of Villas on Lushan recounts tales from Lushan Mountain in Jiujiang City， Jiangxi Province. Known as a “kingdom of villas” due to its many colonialstyle structures， Lushan once served as a summer resort with a political touch， where foreigners spent leisure hours， politicians found relief from summer heat， and men of letters wrote pastoral poetry.

The book recounts stories of the villas through 12 works of prose， bringing readers to China 100 years ago， when the government was extremely incompetent， civilians were suffering due to foreign invasion， and greater numbers of foreign missionaries began streaming in.

The pioneering foreigner to the area was Edward Selby Little（1864-1939）， an English missionary who leased a large piece of land on Lushan Mountain for 999 years and established Guling Company to develop and sell real estate in the form of summer villas. Foreigners came one after another from countries such as France， Russia， and the United States， carving up the mountain through various methods and built villas featuring exotic styles. Lushan thus became the most beautiful garden and architectural museum of villas in modern China.

“Guling （the core of the Lushan Scenic Area） foreshadows the general trend of Western cultural aggression，” opined Hu Shi（1891-1962）， a well-known Chinese scholar.

The mountain was once teeming with celebrities， including Nobel Prize-winning novelist Pearl Buck， Chen Sanli， dubbed the last traditional-style poet of the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）， and Soong May-ling， Chiang Kai-Shek’s wife， to name a few.

Fang Fang is a writer and president of the Hubei Writers Association. His first story was published in 1976， followed by novels and fiction including The Chronicle of Wuni Lake， Water Under Time， Landscape， and Tu Ziqiang’s Sadness.

Non Sense

By Aaron Nieh， Shanghai People’s Publishing House， August 2014

One of the most eye-catching new-generation designers， Aaron Nieh has just published the simplified Chinese version of his Non Sense， covering his search for the meaning of life through his designs.

The book is a compilation of 50 essays that reveal characteristics that can be hardly seen by glancing at the designs， while showcasing the life of a designer through anecdotes.

Nieh’s design is characterized by sensitivity and intensity， natural yet profound. Over the last few years， he has practiced what he preaches， blending literature and art， business and fashion， and creating numerous trendsetting works. He was the first designer in Taiwan to rank among the International Council of Graphic Design Associations in Switzerland， and winner of Best Album Packaging at the 21st and 25th Golden Melody Awards. Moreover， he was invited to design the official primary vision for the 50th anniversary of the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan.“If life respects design， we should remain perpetually unfinished，” asserts Nieh.

The modern world involves countless moving parts， leading cities – carriers of our daily lives – to a shifting state more culturally than geographically. Each city maintains its own cultural stance and lifestyles， creating an identity and aim. Environmental or fantastic， natural or artificial， the living state of a city relates to the focus of its citizens. The degree of humanistic care， at the same time， hastens intellect， personal loyalty， and social responsibility. Life is blossoming for everyone.

A Taiwan publishing house opined， “It has strafed directly to his and others’ target， through struggle， clashes and embarrassment， painfully and anxiously.”