Written by a Stanford history professor—no, not the other Gordon
Chang that runs around cackling that the sky is falling in China—this is the
scholarly one that writes with elegance and eloquence about the ups and downs
of a relationship between the most powerful nation and the most populous one.
The author points out that China’s relationship began with
America even before there was an America. All the tea dumped in the Boston
Harbor came from China—the Brits have not yet smuggled the tea saplings to
India—and it was the desire to buy tea direct from China and save on the taxes
being imposed by the British crown that led to the American Revolution. (My
“aha” moment: All of a sudden I realized where the expression came from, “I
wouldn’t do such and such for all the tea in China.”)
The author goes on to suggest that visions of trading for
the wealth that was China led Jefferson to the Louisiana Purchase and sending
Lewis and Clark west to find the passage to China, as Columbus attempted
centuries before.
Such notable historical characters as Anson Burlingame, John
and Alice Dewey, Pearl Buck and Henry Luce furthered America’s fascination with
China. Burlingame went to China as the American ambassador and came back as the
envoy from China. The Deweys went to Japan for a vacation, decided to visit
China on a whim and stayed for two years. Buck and Luce wrote and published
bountifully about China.
These people spent a significant part of their lives in
China and were all enthralled by the Chinese people and culture. They became
positive influences in America’s perception of China. On the other hand, xenophobes
such as Denis Kearney that spewed racist hatred across the American society had
never been to China and know nothing about China. Sounds familiar in today’s
context?
China suffered from the ravages of the Opium War and the
unequal treaties imposed on the country by the western imperialists. Burlingame
attempted to help China rectify the injustices. The Treaty of 1868 named after
him entered between China and the U.S. actually paved the way for the first batch of Chinese boys to be educated
in New England.
While the U.S. participated in the quelling of the Boxer
Rebellion, it was the only western power to return most of the indemnity fund
back to China in the form of scholarships for advance studies in America. Studying
in the United States became the gold standard for every aspiring student in
China and continues to this day.
The writings of many others such as John Dewey and Pearl
Buck created a level of understanding about China that formed the foundation of
popular American sympathy and support for China and sentiment against Japan
during the eve of World War II.
This book is a pleasure to read for entertainment and for those
wishing to become better informed individuals. It should be required reading
for all current and aspiring politicians. Given all the loose talk about the
impending conflict between a rising power and reigning power, it is crucial
that our leaders understand China and get the relationship right.
