Wu Qing

Wu Qing
Honoring Women
World Academy for the Future of Women
Sias University
Henan, China
Spring 2012

I was teaching leadership skills to female students in China. I asked a group of students to write a short story about some women we honored at our annual Women’s Symposium last year (2011).  We honored six women who have rubbed the government a little bit so we were told that we could no longer honor anyone like that again.  However, we tentatively plan to publish these stories (about last year’s recipients) in this year’s program book.  Here is what one student's submitted story.

Wu Qing

 Wu Qing, the daughter of famous writer Bin Xin, was born in 1937 and a professor of Beijing Foreign Language University after graduated from English department.

   In her short life, she had make so much accomplishment.  She compered the Sunday English of CCTV from1977 to 1979. She studied society history and community building course in MIT of America.  And she was in charge of undergraduate and postgraduate who studied the society and culture.  For outstanding work, she was upraised the Excellent Teacher.

    At the same time, she wrote so many books that we can't write all their names.  Among these works, there are very famous ones, such as <>,<>and so on. Besides she also published articles in overseas.<> and some others all proved that lady have the rights to gain higher education and all the rights the men  have.

    As tge satubg gies* (sic) "Men and Women are all human beings.  So they should be treat equally.  And from her experience we can learn that women can also get what they want if they try their best and work hard.

     So, come on my sisters! Take action to reach the stars that your dream of.

(*I can’t figure out what was intended here.)

The Red Guard

The Red Guard
Sias University
Henan Province, China
Winter 2012

They marched through the campus every morning and every afternoon.  They were students who had joined the Communist Party.  The overwhelming majority of my students were not members of the party and did not identify with this display of nationalism.  Most of the students were oblivious to these daily rituals.  As a matter of fact, often, I was the only one who stopped to watch them.

The Communist Party

The Communist Party

Sias University
Henan Provence, China
Spring 2012

When I taught at SIAS University, I was assigned specific classrooms which had cable monitors on at all time.  I was not allowed to move my students to another classroom and I had to submit my powerpoint presentations to the Party for review so that I wasn't teaching anything that contradicted the position of the government.

While there certainly was a communist presence on campus, my students seemed oblivious to the party and any effect it had on their lives.  Most of my students were apolitical and had no intention of joining the party.  I always thought that everyone was a member of the party but I was mistaken.  A person has to apply to be a member and go through physical training and classes.  After passing certain criteria, membership is granted as a privilege, not an earned right.  Membership in the party allows you to vote for the one candidate offered in each election.  It opens up doors for political jobs and it allows you to spy on your neighbors for the good of the country.

The president of the university had the Party breathing down his neck at all times.  That made some of what we were doing, suspect to the Party Secretary.  Some things that we wanted to do and were so benign, were rejected.  Then we got the "go-ahead" on other things only to be reprimanded later.

While all of this drove me crazy, my students didn't seem to mind.  As one student told me, "We have to trust our government to look after us.  After all, there are a billion of us.  They know what is best for all of us."

Preparing to Travel to Tibet

 July 1999

Kathmandu, Nepal

I just arrived in Kathmandu where I will prepare to go to Tibet in four days.  This first part of the journey is at an elevation of 4000 feet. It is here that I will acclimate myself to higher elevations. While in Tibet we will travel to elevations of 17,000 to 19,000 feet. Frankly I’m a little worried. That’s some pretty thin air.

Doma, our guide has just introduced herself to the six of us. There is a married couple, Michael and Bob, from Minnesota. Lois is from New York and traveling by herself. Helen and Wen Wen are cousins and traveling together.  And then I have come by myself.

Doma will be with us during the entire three weeks.  But we will pick up local guides along the way.  Doma is a Tibetan refugee in exile. She was raised in India and Germany but has an American passport. It’s a little hard to really understand her complete story. She doesn’t give out all the details.

She warns us that It is politically dangerous to travel to Tibet. The Dalai Lama is still considered an enemy of the Chinese government.  So Doma suggests we not speak poorly of the Chinese people or the government. She also suggests we NEVER refer to the Dalai Lama as such as is that is illegal. We may not have any photos of him as well. “So maybe we could use a code name for His Holiness such as Harley-Davidson” she tells us. This way we couldn’t get in trouble and we would all know what she meant. She indicated she did want any of us to be arrested and imprisoned for allegations of spying. Nor did she want any of us tortured. We all indicated the same.

She asked that we not talk to any of our guides or taxi drivers or anyone in Tibet about the Dalai Lama as that was illegal and she didn’t want to cause them any problems as well. She asked me what I thought of the plan. With fear reverberating through my entire being, I told her I had no intentions of mentioning Harley Davidson at all during this entire trip.

More Thoughts on Tibet

More Thoughts On Tibet

 July 1999

I traveled through Tibet for three weeks.  Here are my thoughts:

• ·      I am never traveling to a Chinese government country again. I don’t like the negative influence the government has on the Tibetan people. They are treated as second class citizens.
• 
  
• ·      Kathmandu reminds me of an Asian Amsterdam. it’s tolerant of different religions and ideas.  There are lots of old hippies walking around and lots of people living on the fringe. And the coffee shops were a welcomed perk.
• 
  
• ·      The Potula reminds me of Graceland. it’s become more of a tourist site more than a religious site.
• ·      The Tibetans seem content with life. I wonder what they worry about.
• 
  
• ·      I don’t do well with high attitudes.  I need to spend time at sea level. Being above 18,000 feet is hard on my breathing.  And it turns my fingernails blue.
• 
  
• ·      I don’t think the Dalai Lama can ever return to Lhasa. The city has moved away from that era when he was here so many years ago.
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• ·      I’m not going to eat pig’s ears for a long ever again.  They are two dreadful food choices.
• 
  
• ·      I am not any closer to understanding why some people have a sense of spirituality and others don’t have any. if you question too much does a whole thought concept become absurd? if you question too much are you just uncovering too many inconsistencies in thoughts and practices?
• 
  
• ·      When they work in the fields or on the roads, the Tibetans sing together. I wish we saying more at work. Maybe we would get along better.
• 
  
  

To read more stories, check out:   bkmemoirs.blogspot.com

 or  bkmemoirs.wordpress.com

Trying To Get Sensitive Information In China

Sias University
Henan Province, China
2012

This is an email correspondence from a student to a former faculty member in my program.  He wrote to her and she included me in her response.

From:  (student)
Sent: Thu 3/8/2012 7:30 AM
To: (faculty member)
Subject: I need your help

Good morning! I read something about my government, I am surprised It that I can’t believe it. I hope I can read more about my government from USA's view.  So can you asked your friend who study my government to give your suggest, then help me buy a or two book (English or Chinese are all OK) for me about my government to help me know clearly about my government? You bring it when you come China, I will give you money for pay for it when you come back China, I wouldn't don’t give you money. I know American people don’t like buy things for others but I cannot buy these book in China and I cannot go other country now. So can you help me buy it and take it to China when you come SIAS? If you can't or have difficult, it is OK.

From: (faculty member)
CC: bkelly327@gmail.com
Sent: 2012,3,8,11:31
Subject: RE: I need your help

When I come to China I will talk with you about what you have asked.  Please be careful.  I am copying Bridget Kelly the World Academy facilitator who is there now.  You may wish to speak with her.  I am not certain what you are referring to so I can't respond to your e-mail or find books because I am not certain what you are asking... however you sound concerned and I think Bridget would be a great person to talk with. Stay safe.

From:  (student)
Sent: Fri 3/9/2012 5:30 AM
To: (faculty member)
Subject:?? I need your help

Thank you. Don't care of me. I wouldn't do anything, only to learning and to learn more about my government. I will send email to Bridget Kelly to learn more from her.

Mr. Wang is a hero who is a police leader in Chong Qing of China. But he want to America for get protect. I feel surprised. Then I started study that thing. I study different newspaper and different people's views. From this thing I get know my government limited many things. They are so corruption. And I learned many things are wrong. But it just little message from Chinese newspaper. I feel I am so stupid in the twenty life. I hope I can get more message from America book. And I want a clearly knowledge to help me understand what happened of my country. I hope I can get more message, then I can own critical thinks to help me grow up quickly in my mind.