by Barry Henderson
Wang Hao and I worked many nights together when I was in Beijing in 1992 and '93 as a "foreign expert," a sort of glorified copy editor, for China Daily, the national English-language newspaper. He's been here in town since September. Still an editor there, now in charge of the night shift, he has been a visiting scholar at the College of Communications at UT.
We've spent many hours together here, and the reunion has been delightful. He's traveled, credentialed, and esteemed at his job. His impressions, derived from a perspective formed halfway around the world, are instructive, to say the least. Here they are:
"'You've got to tell me what you think of Knoxville,' said my journalist friend of 10 years when I first came to UT for a six-month course of study. The question popped up again as I start packing for my homebound trip to Beijing.
"I had a strange feeling after I got my air ticket, finding myself of two different minds—excited over a reunion with family and reluctant to go. I admit I've fallen in love with Knoxville.
"This is a place where one can find the most kind-hearted and helpful Americans. I love Knoxville first and foremost because of its great people. Just a couple of examples:
"When I was confused about the weekend bus schedule and had to walk home with heavy grocery bags, the driver of bus No. 41 stopped along Chapman Highway and picked me up. On similar occasions, car drivers offered me rides, too.
"I still remember a chilly evening when my friend's car broke down in front of Wal-Mart. Two men spent about an hour checking, and solving, the problem while their wives and children were waiting quietly in their cars.
"When I saw the lights of this city from the plane window after a two-week trip to the West Coast early this year, I was hit by a strong feeling of homecoming. That was only about three months after I came.
"I was told that southerners were 'conservative and simple-minded.' If Knoxvillians stubbornly keep their virtues of kind-heartedness and helpfulness, what's wrong with that?
"Judgment derives from comparison. During my two visits to America, the last one being seven years ago, I have visited many of the cities of this country. My impression of Knoxvillians is unique. They're the best. Also, I got the answer to a question that was lingering in my mind: Where is the real America? Compared with New York and Chicago, Knoxville has no skyscrapers and no fancy downtown. But it owns the most valued asset that America should be proud of: people who are helpful, warm-hearted, straightforward and less sophisticated.
"I went wild with 100,000 fans at the Neyland Stadium to celebrate our 35-14 victory against Rutgers on Sept. 28. Still football-illiterate after all these months, I've forgotten who scored touchdowns for UT, but I will never forget the Knoxvillians' smiling faces. At that time, I felt as if I was part of Knoxville.
"Knoxvillians' smiles touched me again at the 100 East Tennessee Best award ceremony held on Oct. 18 at the newly opened Knoxville Convention Center. Those were the smiles of hard-working Knoxvillians—from bankers to tattoo-shop owners—who had their painstaking efforts acknowledged by the public.
"Another asset Knoxville should treasure is the academic institution of UT, which has kept vitalizing the city for the past 200 years. Far from any cosmopolitan hustle-bustle, it is indeed an ideal place to study and do research. As an editor from an English language newspaper in Beijing, I have concentrated my study on news presentation. I chose to study in the United States because it has advanced journalism education and it has been a major newsmaker in the past decades.
"Frankly speaking, I had mixed feeling towards America—like most of my countrymen. After I've stayed for six months with Knoxvillians, the contrast between pros and cons about this country is splitting wider and wider.
"The reasons I like and dislike America are so conflicting that I often find it hard to reach a conclusion. It was a senior bus driver on Chapman Highway that helped me with my summary. I was the only passenger that day, and we had a good chat. After asking me about my impressions of Tennessee, he said: 'We are good people, but the [federal] government policy is a bit, uh...' 'Aggressive?' I asked. 'Yes,' he said, 'Democracy is good. But you can't spread it this way.'"
March 6, 2003 * Vol. 13, No. 10
© 2003 Metro Pulse
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