New York City
Friday, January 30, 9:16 p.m. EST
The green line north into central Manhattan was jam-packed as she’d anticipated it would be on a Friday night. Lee adored New York on Friday night. There was so much energy and everyone was happy. Though her relationship with Xiang was still new, she’d been with him enough to where things were a little more comfortable. They had talking points now, since they both had a better idea of each other’s interests. For this reason, she didn’t feel as stressed out about the night. She took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax a little and let the spirit of the other passengers into her own. She felt buoyant. Alive.
She exited the train at the 59th Street station along Lexington Avenue. When she emerged from the terminal, the Manhattan air was still cool, but abnormally warm for late February. It was a crystal-clear night. The stars felt close.
She’d pressed Xiang to meet at a less formal place, and he’d agreed to meet her at a small restaurant that served American food. She was a little late so she veered sharply to her right and sped up, hoping to maneuver past a group of revelers. She spied a parked SUV with tinted windows and stopped briefly to check her look in the rear passenger window. She hadn’t had time to go back to her Brooklyn apartment after work, so she’d tossed on a red blouse over a black tank top. She’d kept the same black dress pants and low black heels she’d worn to work.
She found Xiang standing under the awning at the front of the restaurant, smoking a cigarette. He was still dressed in black dress slacks and black dress shoes, but his button-down dress shirt was unbuttoned at the neck and, in place of his usual dress coat, he now wore a black waist-length leather coat. The look was nice, but slightly less formal than usual for him. Lee was pleased that her intimations toward less formality weren’t lost upon him.
As she approached, his mouth was locked in a peculiar, sardonic half-smile and his eyes were slightly closed. His hair was disheveled from blowing in the slight breeze. He seemed to be laughing hysterically at a really good inside joke, but trying to hold it in. For some reason, she thought it both funny and adorable. Thinking he might be amused at a pedestrian, she followed his line of vision, but she didn’t notice anyone in particular that stood out.
As she approached, he extended a carton of cigarettes.
“Want a light?” he asked.
“Maybe later,” Lee said. “I’m starving. I need to eat something.”
“Thanks for coming again. You look fantastic tonight.”
Lee smiled. “Thank you. You look handsome in your leather coat.”
Xiang’s eyes narrowed. “Thanks. I’ve had it for many years. It was the first thing I bought when I got to the U.S.”
They entered the restaurant, where Xiang had already put his name in. They were ushered to a table in the center of the cafe. They chatted for a few minutes about how their day had gone which, Lee found, was necessarily limited to peripheral matters, since the substance of their work was usually classified.
“How’re you feeling about the offer that Ambassador Li and I extended?”
“I’m still surprised, I guess. It was just so…unexpected.”
Xiang smiled again and his eyes narrowed. “Yes?”
“Yeah,” Lee said. “But it’s hard not to feel a little overwhelmed. It’s a fantastic opportunity.”
“We were hoping you would see it that way,” Xiang said. “Have you had a chance to discuss it with your family?”
“Yes, I called them the day after you made the offer. I gave them all the information you and the ambassador gave me.”
“What was their reaction?” Xiang asked.
“I think it was generally very positive. They’re, of course, very receptive to helping our family still in China.”
“Excellent. I’m very glad to hear that.”
“They have a lot of questions, as you might expect.”
“The ambassador told me to have anyone in your family, yourself included, contact him at the number he gave you should you have any questions. Of course, you can also ask me any questions you have.”
“Let me just ask you—” She struggled to find the right words.
“Yes?”
“I just want to know if…”
“Yes?”
“Did you ask me out so that you could make this offer, Xiang? Or, because you’re interested in having a relationship with me?”
Xiang’s face furled into an expression of surprise. “No. I asked you out, Lyn, because I was interested in a relationship with you. I didn’t even think about this whole idea until after you mentioned your parents’ restaurant. After that, I connected the dots, and followed up with the ambassador. I’m sorry if I gave the wrong impression.”
“No, it’s okay,” Lee said. “I’m grateful for the assistance you’ve offered for my family.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Xiang said. “Any other questions at all?”
“At the ambassador’s apartment you said you had a cousin who wants to come to America. Why does he want to come to America? With your family’s connections, couldn’t he open a restaurant in Shanghai?”
“Well, it’s kind of a long story. In Shanghai, my family has a history with one of the other influential families. We’ve been competing for openings in both the local government and for positions within the Party. There are a lot of negative feelings toward one another, I’m afraid. It happens that this family has a large influence in the restaurant industry in Shanghai. We believe that they’ve been actively preventing my cousin from starting up there.”
“How so?”
“For example, one of their family members holds a senior-level position in the local organization that approves the permits. My cousin has been denied his permit numerous times. We also think they’ve been spreading negative criticism about our family with the suppliers and other critical parts of the industry.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Xiang shrugged. “It’s just business in China.”
“Can’t you pursue legal action against them?”
“Not really. Unfortunately, the legal system in China isn’t anywhere near as developed as in the U.S., particularly with respect to intellectual property. Besides, in China the C.C.P. is all-powerful. This extends to the courts and to the interpretation of the laws. If there’s someone in a position of authority in the C.C.P. who wants do harm by you, they can have their way with you if they want. The system is, admittedly, rife with corruption.”
“I’m surprised that a country like China, being the power that it seems to be now, wouldn’t have a developed legal system. How can a major country run itself smoothly without a functional legal system?”
“Lyn, you’re getting at the very heart of the major struggles China faces currently. You must understand that the legal system in China mirrors the rest of society. Clear up until the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, the legal system was still based on ancient Confucian methodologies, which emphasized relationships between people. Disputes were settled through relationship-based methods, such as mediation. A formal court system was undeveloped and rarely used. It wasn’t really until Western businesses started coming to China that things really began to change. These companies started to demand redress for the offenses propagated against them by the Chinese state or by powerful local businesses. Still, to this day, China does not technically have an independent judiciary or legal system that operates outside the influence of the Communist Party. So there isn’t any good recourse for people harmed by the excesses of C.C.P. officials and institutions.”
Lee studied Xiang’s face. Xiang was passionate in his criticism of China.
“You’re very honest about your opinions of China,” Lee said. “I noticed that about the ambassador as well.”
“Both the ambassador and I and our families have benefitted greatly from the old ways,” Xiang said. “However, being supporters of the country and the C.C.P., we both recognize the reality of t
he situation. We both feel it’s important to be honest with ourselves about our country’s problems. This honesty is critical for the survival of both the C.C.P. and for all of China.”
Xiang, took a moment to collect his thoughts again.
“You know, in the U.S. many people complain about how it’s an overly litigious society. About all of the seemingly frivolous lawsuits filed. But at least there is a functional legal system in place. All things considered, I’d say it’s better to have too much litigation than too little.”
“I’ll admit that I’m surprised at your opinions,” Lee said. “Would you be so forthcoming with these comments if we were in China now?”
“No, of course not,” Xiang said. “But, I’m fortunate. My family and I have benefitted greatly from the old ways. We have very good guanxi. We’ve worked at this for many years. In China, we have no reason to pursue change.”
“I understand. But don’t you feel like it’s the right thing to do?”
“The right thing to do? How so?”
“Yes, I mean, isn’t it the say…moral…thing to do to look after the rights of the individuals…of the people who don’t have any power?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Xiang said matter-of-factly. “I believe that this kind of thinking is a Western fallacy.”
Lee could feel herself respond in a visceral way to this statement. “You don’t think that individual rights are important?”
“I don’t believe so, no. I don’t believe that personal freedom is important. The exception to this is the extent to which personal freedom is required in order to maintain the status quo…in order to maintain harmony. We must always think, first and foremost, with how to best keep the C.C.P. in power.”
“But, what would the common person say in response to this?” Lee asked. “Would they not disagree?”
“No, not the majority. China is so much different than the U.S. The Chinese are much more inclined to place the needs of society as a whole over their own needs. This has been deeply ingrained in Chinese culture for thousands of years.”
“No, I don’t agree with that,” Lee said. “I believe that every human being values personal freedom. It’s in their DNA.”
“I can tell you with certainty that you’re mistaken.”
Lee felt an immediate well of anger flood inside her. “Xiang—” Lee caught herself mid-sentence. She didn’t want to say something she’d regret. In this situation, with people other than herself depending upon her successful relationship with Xiang, she was willing to make sacrifices she wouldn’t normally be willing to make. She took a breath, intent upon continuing the conversation without introducing angry feelings.
“First of all, anytime somebody makes a blanket statement like that expressing an absolute, it smells of ignorance.” And arrogance. “People are more complicated than that. You cannot seriously tell me you can speak on behalf of all people on this subject.”
Xiang’s eyes had widened, revealing some surprise at the strength of her statement. Lee studied his face as his eyelids began to close again slowly, until his eyes appeared half-closed.
“No, of course not,” Xiang said. “I realize I’m making a generalization and that I can’t speak for everyone. There are always exceptions. But I believe, generally, that what I said is true.”
Lee was still trying to formulate a response, when Xiang continued.
“You see, Lyn, so much of your value system comes from the construct of your environment. You’ve lived here your whole life. You’ve lived in a society that values individual freedoms to such an extent that it’s written into your constitution. But what if you had, from life’s inception, lived and grown up in a society that values the society above all else, and you’d never been exposed to anything different?”
“Then I believe I would still crave my personal freedom,” Lee said. “It’s innate in all of us.”
“I know you to be wrong on this,” Xiang said. “I’ve been on the other side. Chinese citizens will lay their personal feelings down at the feet of society…of the C.C.P. It’s very normal. They do it willingly. Everyday. And that’s okay,” Xiang said. “China is a stronger country for it.”
But what about the people who died in Tiananman Square and elsewhere during the uprising in 1989? Lee thought. What about the Tibetans? What about the people in Beijing or Shanghai or in the agricultural mainland of the country who are left so destitute and hopeless that they are willing to self-immolate themselves in anti-Party expression?
She burned to lay this accusation at the feet of Xiang. But she quickly crossed herself. I must bury these emotions. At least for now. Instead, she took a deep breath and shook her head. “That’s a lot to ask of someone. Too much to ask, in my opinion.”
Xiang shrugged. “I don’t blame you for feeling that way. It’s normal for a Westerner. Just look at Chinese history. Throughout the long centuries in Chinese history, until the Republic of China came into existence in 1911, the average Chinese person has lived under imperial rule and in a role subordinate to a landowner. A few were landowners themselves at some point, but it usually required conscription in the Chinese imperial army. The Chinese people have spent hundreds of years living with either very limited or no autonomy at all in the decisions that affect their everyday lives.”
“And you don’t think those same people wouldn’t have wanted the opportunity to have more autonomy?”
“No, I don’t believe so. Hypothetically, to achieve this personal autonomy would’ve required a revolt of some kind—a forceful action. But the entire Chinese belief system works against this, particularly Confucianism. Confucianism, among other things, stresses the importance of obedience to the ruler. This thinking is fundamental to the Chinese psyche.”
“But I know both from news reports and from what I hear from my family back in China that people are very happy about the changes that Deng Xiaoping made in the late 1970s where he opened up the Chinese economy to the markets. People like the opportunity to own private property. Also, on average, people are much wealthier.”
“Well, I’ll grant you that people are always happy about having more money. But I do not believe it’s necessarily true that all people are comfortable with these changes. Many people are very uncomfortable with it.”
“How do you mean?”
“Many people are very uncomfortable with the very fact that the decisions they have to make have such an impact on their own lives. It has created so much uncertainty. Many people much preferred the iron rice bowl that Mao set up prior to Deng’s reforms. Do you know what the iron rice bowl was?”
“Yeah, I’m familiar with the concept,” Lee said. “The iron rice bowl was the socialist idea of cradle-to-grave support. This support, which was given by the Chinese government to all Chinese workers in state-owned enterprises, included a job with guaranteed job security as well as free health insurance and living quarters for the duration of a person’s life.”
“Exactly. And many of the people who had these benefits in the past have been forced to give them up because of the gradual privatization of Chinese business. This has caused a great amount of anger and debate, even riots, from these people. They liked the security that these benefits provided.”
“With empowerment comes uncertainty.”
“Exactly,” Xiang said. “And uncertainty creates fear. And fear creates disorder. And disorder is something the Party must try to avoid at all costs.”
“Awww, c’mon, Xiang. You just need a little more faith.”
She sensed Xiang was going to make a pithy reply when the waitress arrived with the bill.
“You want to take a walk in the park?” Xiang asked.
Lee assumed he meant Central Park, which was just a couple of blocks away.
“Sure, why not?”
Chapter 13
New York City
Friday, January 30, 10:53 p.m. EST
Lee walked at Xiang’s side as he led her west and north on 79th Street, maneuvering
through and around the bustling pedestrian traffic, making their way to and from the many restaurants and stores in the area. They turned right on Sixth Avenue and proceeded into the southern entrance of the park where Sixth Avenue turned into Center Drive, the main thoroughfare through the park.
“So you’ve experienced both New York City and Shanghai,” Lee said as they made their way into the park. “Do you have a preference between the two?”
“In what way?”
“I don’t know. You have to weigh all the factors.”
“I will always prefer China,” Xiang said. “I still consider it my home.”
“Are you going to go back eventually?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have any plans to. At least not right now.”
They walked for a while longer before Xiang spoke up again.
“Shanghai, as with the rest of China, is very different now that it was when I left for Cal-Berkeley. I don’t know the city as well as I used to.”
“Have you been back since you left?”
“Oh, yes, a few times. But only for a short duration. There’s been so much building and modernization that it’s almost not even recognizable.”
“It’s difficult to imagine a city with twenty million people. That makes it at least twice as large as New York in terms of population.”
“It’s actually now closer to twenty-five million,” Xiang said. “It is a huge city. Although, Shanghai is spread out over a much greater geographical area than is New York.”
“I want to ask you, Xiang, how your father fits into the bigger picture of Shanghai and Chinese government. I’m a little confused how everything fits together.”
“Well, Shanghai is one of the four province-level municipalities in China along with Beijing, Tianjin, and Chongqing. Each of these cities is further sub-divided into districts, counties, townships, and villages. My father is the Party head of Shanghai.”
“So, where does he fit within the rest of the Chinese Communist Party?”
“At the very top of the C.C.P. is the National Congress which, along with the rest of the Party’s national-level infrastructure, is located in Beijing. The National Congress meets every five years and is responsible for choosing the C.C.P. leadership, reviewing and changing the Party’s constitution, and selecting the Central Committee.”
The Thought Cathedral Page 17