My First Impression of China
Washingtonians’ First Trips to the Middle Kingdom
by
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Several factors went into my putting together this special collection of stories.
The publication of My First Trip to China by Hong Kong journalist
Kin-ming Liu in 2012 made me think: Why not a collection of first trip
to China stories by Washingtonians? From writing the book Connecting
Washington and China—The Story of the Washington State China
Relations Council, I know how strong the tradition is in the Evergreen
State in building relations with the People’s Republic and how many
pioneers there are in this endeavor, each with a unique story.
With that thought in mind in the spring of 2013, I then realized that
2014 would mark the 35th anniversary of the normalization of the
diplomatic relations between the United States and China. What better
way to celebrate for Washingtonians and their Chinese counterparts
who care about this relationship? It is for this milestone that I chose to
include 35 stories in this collection.
As a Washingtonian who is also a former citizen of China, this book
is also a remedy in disguise for a serious case of curiosity about how
Americans saw my birth country for the first time.
The participants in this project are some of Washington’s government,
business, academic and community leaders, including those who established
the Washington-Sichuan friendship-state relationship and the Seattle-
Chongqing sister-city relationship. Their first trips to China took place
from 1973 to 2008, covering the time the two countries cautiously opened
liaison offices in each other’s capitals to the time of the Beijing Olympics.
They tell valuable stories not only in terms of the history of Washington
state-China relations, but also in the overall understanding of U.S.-China
relations, especially for future generations, American or Chinese.
I am honored by all the participants in this project who either let me
interview them or submitted their stories. I appreciate very much Joe
Borich, past and longest serving president of the Washington State
China Relations Council, for being my advisor on this project and
Bruce Ramsey, former editorial writer for The Seattle Times, my editorial
advisor.
You will find in these pages evocative, embracing, even endearing
stories: from a governor who saw his China trip as the most important
accomplishment of his administration; from a reporter who was
probably the first American journalist to hear Deng Xiaoping mention
communistic capitalism in an interview; from an attorney who talked
into the chandelier in his hotel room to get message across to his
Chinese host; from a business executive who couldn’t get China out
of his blood. Be ready to be inspired by the stories as well as the story
tellers, who represent the best of the Washington half of the Washington
state-China relations.
Wendy Liu
June 2014
Seattle, WA
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About the Book
The year 2014 marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic relations between the United States and China. Author Wendy Liu chose to honor that relationship by compiling thirty-five essays that detail some Americans’ first impressions of their trip to China.
My First Impression of China presents reflections from a group of prominent Washingtonians, including those who established the Washington-Sichuan friendship-state relationship and the Seattle-Chongqing sister-city relationship. Their first trips to China took place from 1973 to 2008, covering the time the two countries cautiously opened liaison offices in each other’s capitals to the time of the Beijing Olympics.
My First Impression of China provides insight into the changes in American attitudes toward China as well as changes in China’s political, cultural, and technological landscape.
About the Author
Wendy Liu is originally from Xi’an, China. She earned a master’s degree in Technology And Science Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She has been a consultant, translator, and writer. Her writings include op-eds on China in The Seattle Times. Liu has lived in Seattle, Washington, for twenty-five years.