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| Michael Zeller University of Louisville |
By Michael Zeller, Class of 2013
China is simply a bizarre place, and I consider myself an expert having come straight from Russia. As enchantingly odd as my time in Russia was, China has managed to upstage the motherland (at least in peculiarity, its allure is a bit lacking). Indeed, the very way of thinking is different here. If there is an ideological spectrum wherein the United States stands to one side with individualism, decentralization, and democratic republicanism and Russia stands to the other side with collectivism, centralization, and authoritarianism, then the inclusion of China necessitates the conversion of that spectrum into some 3-D plane. It is a mystifying place.
Thus far, all our time has been spent in Shanghai. This city, perhaps more than any other (if our student guides are to be believed), is the most westernized, cosmopolitan place on the mainland. The best indicator seems to be the views expressed by some of the students here. Without going into too much detail, some of their stances on the hot-button issues (Taiwan, Tibet, Tiananmen, etc.) are far more liberal than I expected.
The sights of Shanghai are interesting, but, too an extent, disappointingly modern. For one of the oldest civilizations in the world, it is shocking to hear our guides refer to the “ancient” Jaio Tong University, which was founded in 1894. While the second half of our trip (Xi’an and Beijing) should offer a bit more history, it is distressing (for someone so passionately concerned with history at least) that a city more than 1,000 years old points to landmarks just over 100 years old as “ancient.”
Before closing, I think it proper to detail one fantastic opportunity that has been denied our class due to the intellectual frailty of the class that preceded us. Professor Jin Canrong of Renmin University in Beijing lectured and conducted a discussion with the scholars last year. He is irrefutably one of the top scholars of China, but almost none of his views align with the general perspective of Americans. Indeed, Professor Canrong professes many of the ‘official positions’ of the Chinese government. And, given how well versed he is in Chinese history and the various contemporary factors that comprise these issues, he argues for these positions with unparalleled verve and intellectual elegance. The prospect of interacting with this scholar was denied us (and perhaps all future ‘China classes’) by last year’s class which shrunk before his ardent argumentation. While all but one failed to engage Professor Canrong, few missed the chance to later decry him as rude and condemn his arguments (absent of intellectual grounds) as analogous to ‘brainwashing.’
Explaining his decision to abandon that portion of the Chinese program, Dr. Hua said that, in addition to their complaints, the timidity of last year’s class during the session reflected poorly on the McConnell Center. He justly excused some of their meekness by saying that they simply weren’t (and couldn’t be without a long and intensive period of study) prepared to match Professor Canrong’s multi-faceted understanding of the issues. Nonetheless, I would argue that McConnell Scholars ought to be able to listen to a rational argument, clarify a position through questioning, and penetrate the logical and/or practical weaknesses. Despite all the other wonderful opportunities on this trip, I (and many of my classmates) cannot help but be somewhat downcast at the loss of that unique opportunity.
Otherwise, everything here is fine, la-dee-da-dee-da.
Michael Zeller, from Louisville, Ky., is a senior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville and is currently studying in the People's Republic of China. He is majoring in history and political science.