An Aqueduct of Many Colors: Margaret Returns to China

Chinese-born intellectual Margaret Zhao moved to the United States with her husband in 1989. While she had been a highschool English teacher in China, she soon realized that she could not just slip into the same career in the United States, and struggled not only to put food on the table, but to find her place in American society. (See interview part one, part two)

Margaret returned to China for the first time in 1996.   

“When I stood in the crossroads at the center of town I couldn’t remember the direction anymore. It was changed.There were more cars. It was much bigger.   We had so many vendors on the street now because it was a free economy.”

Margaret returned again in 2001, then 2006. She noted that people were living in luxury she never knew as a child. She pointed to a photo of a large round table piled high with all kinds of specialty dishes: braised duck and beef and chicken, handmade dumplings, dishes of oysters and fish.

“You notice the change in life. The luxury. Before we wouldn’t have this kind of banquet.”

In addition to the wonderful changes--of which there were many each time she went back-- she noticed some challenges. 

“When I arrived to my brother’s hometown and was walking to the house, the trash was piled against the house and along the street. I asked, ‘Why is there so much trash piled here?’  He said, ‘Welcome home.’  

"And the water—I saw the aqueduct where I used to carry water from. They don’t use it anymore.  Alongside of the bank of the aqueduct is full of trash of all kinds of colors. The pollution was the worst this last time. It was unbelievable." 

To her siblings, who still live in her hometown, things have become expensive.  She said that they worry about the quality of the products on the grocery shelves and, as much as they can, grow their own food. Their biggest concern of all, though, is corruption.

“It’s everywhere. Even the doctors and teachers are corrupt. You want a good education? You have to give money to the principal. Then you are allowed in the school. If you want to be better treated, you give a red envelope (filled with money) to the teacher. When you go to the hospital to get a surgery procedure, you not only pay for the procedure, you still have to give a red envelope to the doctor to do a good job. That’s very tragic. So people have lots of anger."

I asked what could be done.

"How can you get rid of it? Working from the bottom up.”

(...to be continued. Next: Peace Begins At Home)