My incredible China experience and some thoughts...

I was invited to participate in a People to People exchange trip to China in 1989. The whole thing was almost cancelled because students had been in Tiananmen (sp?) Square for a couple of weeks and our State Dept. was concerned about security issues.

Anyway, we left in late May and returned after an incredible two weeks. Our first stop was Beijing and our Chinese hosts (Chinese Medical Association) carefully kept us away from Tiananmen Square. They were concerned about safety issues and also didn't want to be perceived as being sympathetic with Westerners. We finally convinced them to take us there on our last day (before going to Nanjing, our next stop). They wouldn't drop us off at the square, but rather let us off at the Beijing Hotel, three or four blocks from the Square, and said we should walk in small groups to the Square.

All 27 of us went and it was unbelievable. There was the Goddess of Liberty statue in the middle of T. Square; that would be like a statue of Chairman Mao in the Washington Mall!! Student were camped out with tents, flags, loudspeakers; kinda like Woodstock but with more control. The experience was very moving and emotional, Here were China's brightest and best students protesting for the basic rights that we take for granted. They wanted to be like us and loudly cheered us wherever we went. Tears flowed.

After about an hour in the Square we were approached by Scandinavian journalists and told to get out, that troops were massing. We did, and later in the day troops emerged from the Forbidden City (at the end of the Square) and the rest is history. We took home some incredible photographs and memories. Beijing was bedlam the next day and it was all we could do to get out, as our plane had been commandeered to bring in fresh troops. Those of us who tried to have film developed in China were told that the photos were lost, and the film exposed!!

Anyway, a couple of takeaways from the trip:

1) The Chinese people were polite and gracious. Part of their core culture is the concept of "face." That implies that they never embarrass or show up anyone, and have ultimate respect for one another. They value relationships before the "deal." And groups deal with one another via point persons.

2) The Chinese government will do whatever it damn well pleases. If they could wantonly and brazenly kill some of their brightest and best simply because they publicly protested government policy...well, there were no rules other than the ones they imposed. Their tactic was to keep people repressed via lack of communication and disinformation. People were afraid to speak with us in public after the massacre because they were afraid to be seen with us, and afraid of what might happen to them.

Don't know how this plays into the Ming fiasco, but what the Rockets are doing regarding establishing relationships with Ming's representatives and the government is right on. It's been 13 years since the massacre and my sense is that things are slowly changing, and the Chinese government would like to advance themselves in the world community via Yao Ming. Hopefully that will make navigating the political mine fields a little easier.

Dallas Rocket

 

MadMax,

Thanks. Have done exactly what your suggested. We have photographs and lots of documentation of the trip. Local Rotary club asked to speak about it so I also have the talk I put together for them.

When we moved to Nanjing, Guanjou (sp?) etc. we ran into mock funerals everywhere. Again, they cheered when our bus came into sight.....goosebumps. And we have the funeral wreaths and other things that we given to usby the locals.

One thing for sure: ever since that trip I have never taken for granted the freedom we have as Americans. All it takes is witnessing the plight of those who live in repressive regimes...and, as you know, there is still a lot of that going on.

D R