Smeared Type

 By Jian Ping

Jim Hahn and me, photo by Dr. Jae Ro

I visited several Rotary Clubs in the greater Chicago area recently, talking about my memoir Mulberry Child and today’s China. Elizabeth, a club member at Barrington, introduced me to Jim at the Korean Club after my appearance at her club.

I exchanged a few emails with Jim and set the date on July 19th. Jim was very detailed oriented and extended his hospitality by picking me up from the Metra Train Station at Arlington Park. We chatted on our way to Woo Lae Oak, a Korean Restaurant where they had their meetings. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that nearly a third of their members were Korean women.

Rotarians at other clubs I had been to were mostly casual. I was amazed to see all the Koreans, men and women, appear in formal attire—men all had a jacket, and some even a tie, in this hot summer day. Each of them came over to make a self introduction as they arrived and addressed me as Ms. Ping. Apparently, they had been well informed of today’s program. I was impressed. I also noticed how extremely polite and friendly they were, not just to me, their guest speaker, but also to one another. One woman, Rose, told me she was not a member, but came specially to hear me talk. We chatted and compared notes on raising children in the U.S.—we certainly had similar experiences.

A Presentation on Mulberry Child

The club meeting started with the ritual of the National Anthem, followed by a pledge, which I always found touching. Then the language changed from English into Korean, beginning with a prayer. I watched Jim take center stage and assumed he was making announcements of their activities. Suddenly, the familiar sound of Jian Ping, Jennifer Hou Kwong, and even Tsingtao Beer caught my attention. I realized he must be introducing me. I smiled. The foreign syllables sounded like music to my ears. I was no stranger to conversations that I couldn’t understand—and they were not even conducted in a foreign language. Over the last decade, my husband and I had spent our Christmas with my in-laws in San Francisco. They spoke Cantonese and Tai Shan dialects, and I spoke Mandarin. Since they knew little English, and my understanding of Cantonese or Tai Shan was next to zero, we smiled and gestured, but couldn’t talk without an interpreter. I learned to fit in without the help of language. The benefit? No conflicts, ever!

At this Korean Club, most of the members knew about the Cultural Revolution or had experienced China firsthand. So I rushed through my talk and left some time for questions. I nodded to the first gentleman who raised his hand. “One, what compelled you to write the book?” he said. “And two, is Tsingtao Beer really started by Germans in China?” Everyone laughed, including me. The two-way dialogue became casual and easy afterward. “Why is it titled Mulberry Child?” “What’s your daughter’s reaction to the book?”…. We carried our conversation over dinner.

I also learned quite a bit about them and their culture. James, who sat next to me, told me about how he learned Chinese characters when he attended school in Korea. “A total of three thousand words,” he said, writing down “天”“heaven” and “地” “earth” in Chinese, but pronounced them in Korean. Brian, who sat across the table asked me the meaning of my name and wrote the correct Chinese characters on a piece of napkin—his handwriting indicated a good training in calligraphy and was much better than mine! Again, I was impressed.

I was honored to sign copies of Mulberry Child for the attendees and found my book bag nearly empty when it was all said and done.

A few members walked me to the door. Rose came over to bid farewell.  “I’m so honored to meet you,” she said, her expression genuine and touching. She had asked me to sign a copy of Mulberry Child to her daughter. We shook hands as if we had known each other for a long time. “Send me an email,” I said to her as we parted our way. “I will,” she said, waving.  

Jim, thank you and your club members for having me. I really enjoyed the unique experience. 

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. Visit www.moraquest.com, www.mulberrychild.com

by Jian Ping

Cultural Revolution Museum in Shantou

I had traveled 2 or 3 times each year to China since 1992. Never before had I worked so hard, yet enjoyed the trip so much—more than 10 hours of shooting and traveling from April 23 through May 4 every day. Our crew included my film director Susan Morgan Cooper, cinematographer Quyen Tran, my daughter Lisa, who could only join us for a week, Alex Sophia Cooper, Susan’s daughter, and I.  I was very excited about the doc-drama film based on Mulberry Child.

Susan, Quyen and Alex had never been to China before. I told them I could take them in, but they might need Bill Clinton to get them out. Joking aside, they were quite nervous about shooting in China.  

We flew to Hong Kong on April 23—the three of them from Los Angeles and Lisa and I, from Chicago. We wanted to visit the Cultural Revolution Museum (CRM) in Shantou, Guangzhou Province. My blunder nearly messed up our schedule—I mistook our flight departure time from Shantou to Beijing on April 27 for our flight from Hong Kong to Shantou on April 26. We missed our flight, the only one of the day! Since we had such a tight schedule, I frantically searched online and re-routed our flight from Guangzhou to Shantou and booked a train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. A two-hour flight took us an entire day. But we managed to check into our hotel in Shantou late at night, with only one meal at the Guangzhou Airport for the entire day. (Lisa reminded me later how mean I was–rushing her and not allowing her to pick up some food at the Hong Kong Station when she was starving!)  

Ba Jin's Portait at the Museum

We lost half a day of work on April 26 and went to the CRM early in the next morning. CRM is located in the Ta Shan Scenery Area, a mountain range dotted with Buddhist Temples. The style and structure of the museum looked like a temple as well. Reading the greeting letter carved on a slab of marble to Lisa, I was amazed by the open criticism of the Communist Party and Chairman Mao for starting the “chaotic”, “disastrous” and “unforgivable” Cultural Revolution (CR). Images of atrocities took place during the CR etched on the black marbles that constituted the core of display. We took many stills and footage. Tears emerged in my eyes as I examined one picture in which a helpless official was surrounded by a group of angry Red Guards. He could have been my father…. So many memories flashed through my mind!

 Many books on the CR were on display in glass cases. China’s famed author Ba Jin was credited for proposing the establishment of a CR museum, and his portrait was placed in the center of the museum. I was very impressed the idea became true. 

It was a pity that not many people were interested in witnessing this part of history. During the three hours we spent there, we only saw four other visitors. Even our cab driver, who often took customers to the Buddhist Temples nearby, had never stopped here before.

We could have spent more time there, but had to leave to catch our flight to Beijing at 1:10 P.M.  

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. Visit www.mulberrychild.com, www.moraquest.com

As a follow-up to my previous blog and having read more about the state sanctioned reinstatement of Confucius by the Chinese government, I’ve been intrigued by the ideals and teaching of this great sage.

He was born in 551 BC in northeast China, in the small state of Lu, into a poor but noble family.  At the age of 53, he became the State’s Justice Minister.  But he was quickly disappointed by corruption in his own state, and then spent 12 years journeying around China, seeking a worthy new master but without success.  He died in 479 BC with no hope for the future of civilization. 

 It appears that he never actually wrote anything down, but his teachings were passed down by his disciples.  These, like western religions, probably included considerable poetic license, and extra contributions.  What was eventually written down were small fragments of his teachings and selected sayings written hundreds of years after his death. 

Confucius was not a religious leader, but he stressed the ideals of harmony and obedience and the concepts of virtue, which included honoring one’s family, conducting one’s life in total honesty and obeying one’s social superiors.

He believed society would benefit when learning, study, and ceremony was put before pleasure, profit, and power.  Therefore his ideal system of government would be one run by an honest bureaucracy under a benevolent prince committed to public duty, honesty, and compassion.  He also believed that government rule should be based on customs and historical rites, and should reject at all times bribery, coercion, or laws that would promote shameless self interest.

The Confucian ideas were adopted by the Han Emperors (206 BC to 220 AD).  They particularly valued his emphasis on a hierarchy of obedience, and that bureaucratic positions should be filled by scholars with adequate qualifications rather than nobles who had done nothing to deserve recognition. 

This gave rise to the Mandarins, a group of civil servants selected by grueling exams, who had to memorize reams of facts as well as arithmetic and knowledge of ritual and ceremonies.  Even today, it is thought that this is the reason that Chinese parents have always been so strict with their children and that the Chinese in general have been excessively deferential to authority.

With the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China, Chairman Mao condemned Confucius as a feudal thinker.  During the Cultural Revolution Red Guards destroyed many Confucian temples and monuments, including his family home, grave, and personal temple.  But it is now recognized that Confucian teachings of ethics, harmony, obedience, plain living and public service are ideals that can be followed by all societies.

While the Chinese Communist government is now trying to fill the ethical vacuums brought about by their economic explosion, Confucius’s teachings are relevant to much of 21st Century western society and governments.

Ellis M. Goodman, author of Bear Any Burden: www.bearanyburden.com

I had heard much about the Unity Temple and the unique building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Susan and her two young daughters immediately took me for a quick tour and pointed out the open design, the two levels where the congregation gathered, and the wooden materials used throughout the building. Then they ushered me to a large room where tables were set up for a potluck dinner and many women had gathered in small groups, chatting. I immediately engaged in a conversation with two women who had finished reading my book.  

“Excuse me,” Susan poked her head into the group with a big smile. “I want to share you with more people,” she said, leading me away.

After a few announcements of the group’s future activities and half an hour of chatting and eating, I talked about my growing up experience in China, particularly about living through the persecution of my parents during the Cultural Revolution. Several women in the audience asked questions and made comments after the talk. One compared the similarity between China’s Cultural Revolution to her family’s experience in Cuba, and another expressed her outrage that a few Americans set up a booth at the Printers Row Book Fair a couple of years before to promote Mao who started the Cultural Revolution. Despite running late, we had long and lively discussion session.

 “I have been to China,” one woman said. “I read your book with interest and want to thank you for giving me a personal perspective. I’m very touched by the strength demonstrated by your family,” she continued, her voice filled with emotion. “I’m so happy to see you are doing well now.”

Another woman asked how each of my siblings were doing and where they were now.

Throughout the evening, I found several people in the audience had been to China or had Chinese friends. One woman had a Chinese daughter-in-law and asked me to sign the book for her in Chinese. “My daughter-in-law would love it,” she beamed at the hand-written characters in Chinese.

Once again, I’m delighted and humbled by the interest and response I received.

 Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. www.mulberrychild.com.

I used to live in Green Trails in Lisle, a western suburb of Chicago. For more than ten years, the moment I pulled the curtains from my second floor bedroom window, I saw the administration building of Benedictine University (BU). I witnessed the demolition of the old building and the emerging of the new library in its place. I went to the Rice Center on campus to vote several times and always felt Benedictine University was part of the local community.

I had the honor to give a talk about Mulberry Child at BU yesterday. I first met Elsie Yuan, Director of China Institute and Dr. William Caroll, President of BU last October. We talked about China and my book. Dr. Caroll surprised me by addressing incidents that I described in my book in detail, and more, he referred to each of my five siblings by name! When we parted that day, Dr. Caroll and his wife Marietta gave me a large, dark green mulberry leaf. I was very touched. To date, that green leaf, despite its faded color, is still pinned to the China map on the wall of my office. I see it numerous times a day—it reminds me of my growing up experiences in China and my friendship with Dr. Caroll and Elsie that has developed since then.

I arrived at BU at 4 PM. Elsie had asked me to come early to have an interview with BU’s “Eye of the Eagle,” an in-circuit student TV network. I did the interview and I was impressed by the student reporter’s questions and skills. Elsie told me there would be an early dinner before my talk. I was overwhelmed walking into the Boardroom with Dr. Caroll: the conference tables, covered with white table cloth, were lined up in a square, and more then twenty plates were set up for dinner. Soon members of the Benedictine University Unity Foundation (BUUF), faculties from College of Business, College of Liberal Arts, China Institute, Community Development and International Programs, all sponsors of the event, came to the room. Several Chinese Fulbright Scholars who are doing graduate studies or teaching at BU also came. Mr. Donald Taylor, Provost, was also present. I was very honored by the extraordinary hospitality. Then I saw Marietta, Dr. Caroll’s wife, walk through the door—another wonderful surprise. 

Dr. Caroll personally gave the welcome and started the evening event, and Nikki, President of BUUF, introduced me to the audience. I enjoyed the opportunity of talking about China, especially the Cultural Revolution and my family’s experience surviving the persecution and chaos. I also read a section of my book to have the audience experience a particular moment with me. I felt I could have heard a pin drop when I related my story. 

What a special event! My heartfelt thanks to Dr. Caroll, Elsie, Nikki and the other students and faculties whose support made the event possible.   

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. www.mulberrychild.com

I always enjoyed talking to young students about China and my book Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. Their eagerness for the stories from a different culture, their questions about my growing up experiences and their responses to the resilience and strength of my family members surviving the Cultural Revolution always bring back vivid memories of my childhood.

My talk to 150 students at St. Thomas School in Fairfield, CT yesterday was no exception. Even though only 2 students among the group have been to China, everyone raised their hands enthusiastically when they responded to my question if they watched the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on television. I told them that China today is a very different from the China presented in my book. But it is important to remember the past, so that we can prevent the tragedies from happening in the future. What’s more, the resilience and strength that enabled my family to survive the Cultural Revolution are still relevant today in overcome the hurdles we encounter in our daily life.

I read a section of my story when I was requested to criticize my father as a first grader. I told them the impact it had on me. I could feel the intensity of their attention as I unrevealed the details. As soon as I was done relating the story, many hands raised in the audience:

“How long did your family live in the mud house?”

“What happened to your sisters and brother?”

“Why is the book titled Mulberry Child?”

I wish I had more time to address each of their questions. I was reluctant to end the section as so many students still had their hands up. I told them to reach me via e-mail and promised I’d respond to each of them. As an author, I always feel the deepest gratitude when I realize my story can touch the hearts of others and give them inspiration to deal with the challenges in their lives.

Jian Ping, auther of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. www. mulberrychild.com

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I read Mulberry Child, a Memoir of China by Jian Ping. Jian Ping is a former business colleague and friend, with whom I shared the writing experience, working on my novel at the same time as she was working on her Memoir.

Her creative talent and advice was of great assistance, and I hope that similarly I was able to give her the necessary support for her to finish her project.

Mulberry Child is the heart-wrenching true story of a childhood in Communist China. Jian Ping is the daughter of a high-ranking government official in the rural northeast of the country, growing up at a time of famine and political upheaval in the 1960s. Jian Ping’s innocent childhood comes to an abrupt end when the Cultural Revolution—a power struggle within the ruling party—engulfs the country like a wildfire.

Jian Ping’s father, Hou Kai, is falsely accused of treason—he is detained, beaten, and publicly shamed. Her mother Wenxiu, a top administrator of a middle school, is paraded in public and imprisoned by the Revolution Committee and the Red Guards—both driving forces of the Cultural Revolution. She is forbidden to see her children and pressured to divorce her husband. The family is pushed to a breaking point when they are forced to live in a mud house without heating, water, or a toilet. Facing abuse and deprivation, Jian Ping’s family stands steadfastly together, from her aging grandmother Nainai, a frail woman with bound feet, to her parents and siblings. The traumatic impact of their experiences shape the course of their lives forever.

Based on her own memories, as well as interviews and exhaustive research, Mulberry Child is a sprawling family saga and an inspiring tale of resilience and determination, a coming of age story told through the eyes of an innocent child.

Even though I had shared part of the writing process with Jian Ping and had thus read various excerpts as the book progressed, I was truly moved by this compelling story, written in such a delicate and graceful style.  I was also conscious about the timing of my reading this beautiful book.  A time for us to give thanks for the free democratic society in which I and my family have lived our lives.