Much like his roommate and friend Jefferson, Lu Wenbin or Edison, also chose the name of a famous American luminary. I had the wonderful fortune of teaching Edison spring of my first year, but remained friends and frequent conversation partner with him over my second year as well. Edison was a sharp kid, and also quite the rising star within the Communist Youth League (apparatus set up for high school and college Chinese students to prepare themselves for joining the Chinese Communist Party). Edison was amiable and gregarious, and seemed to maintain friendships with oh so many of his female classmates. He, in true Chinese fashion, would sharply rebuke any suggestion I made that there was anything romantic to the relationships. Chinese students have the famous DTR (determine the relationship) talk much earlier in the relationship than Americans (or at least my American peers). Kissing, holding hands, even light petting unequivocally do not occur before the boyfriend-girlfriend status has been achieved.
Despite being very interested in politics, social order, and religion, like his friend Jefferson (and Steve Wu) he was, in my opinion, much more typical than the other two men who I have written/will write about. One common misconception about China and the Chinese is that it is very ancient, rustic, and everyone is walking around in the drab or navy suits of Mao’s era. Such a thought couldn’t be further from the truth, well at least not for the majority of Chinese that now live in cities, mostly along the eastern seaboard. Edison was as interested in fashion as the checkout girl at Banana Republic. Yes, Chinese people put the family above all else, and think of themselves as a part of a family-not really an individual. But, Chinese kids in the city are spoiled. So, Edison was always showing up to English corner or a lunch and chat with some new flashy graphic tee, a super Asian-y white men’s jacket, or some stylish jeans that might qualify as metrosexual back in the States, but pass just fine in Changzhou.
Edison really enjoyed learning English and was very involved in a volunteer project teaching English to a school for students of migrant workers. He is studying English education, and I think his genial personality and eagerness for the subject would make him a great teacher. But Edison most likely won’t be a teacher. A conversation I had with him is one of the best examples I can give to demonstrate the collectivist thinking that the Chinese employ. Upon asking Edison what job he was planning to take after graduation, or would like to take, he responded, “I will become a soldier.” Normally, those trying to become soldiers go one of China’s many military colleges. Some produce officers, many less competitive schools provide common soldiers. Being a soldier in China is quite prestigious. China has a huge affinity for its military, which they view as protecting it from the ‘evil separatists’ in Taiwan and the ‘evil imperialist Americans’ that help them, the ‘terrorist Buddhists’ in Tibet, the ‘rebellious Muslims/Uyghurs’ in Xinjiang, their old foes the Japanese, and all the other threats to China’s ‘long overdue’ resurgence. Now Edison just said, “I will become a soldier,” and worry not, it wasn’t a lack of English that formed his terse reply. When I inquired why, he informed me that it was his father’s wish. I, always willing to push an issue, asked him if it was his wish. His response, which I still remember, was so telling (even more so coming from a student that had fairly good critical thinking skills). He said, “it is also my wish, because it is my father’s wish.” And that is just one example of how Chinese culture, despite all the rapid changes/development that have occurred, is still very different from that of Uncle Sam’s land.
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