A
Rabe, who protected more than 200,000 Chinese citizens from torture and death during the Japanese incursion. Rabe’s efforts
provide an inspiring example of how one individual embraced responsibility in a horrific situation not of his making and not
under his control.
late-night flight took us next to Changsha, where
we visited the Hunan Normal School and met 10
young women studying to become tour guides. They
practiced their English on us, lecturing on Chinese history,
and then lunched with us at a restaurant purported to be
Mao’s favorite. Over dishes of “fatty pork” and “stinky tofu,”
we talked how China’s one-child policy had affected them.
Later we visited Orange Island, where there’s a huge stone
bust of Mao, and then traveled to Shaoshan, Mao’s hometown,
where we had lunch at a restaurant owned by a woman who
knew Mao and his family well. Ms. Tan, who is 85, talked
about how she survived Mao’s regime and ultimately became
a wealthy restaurateur. She had managed to prosper as a
private businesswoman despite the harshest restrictions. Our
discussion with her (through a translator) helped us better
understand the complexity of China’s economic system.
On day eight we flew to Xi’an, the ancient center of Chinese
civilization and the Silk Road’s eastern terminal. Visiting
the famous terra cotta warriors, the city walls, and other
archaeological sites gave us all a better appreciation of the
long line of Chinese rulers who had led this nation before Mao.
We took a night train to our last city, Beijing. Here we walked the
courtyards of the Forbidden City and also stood in Tiananmen
Square, expanding our historical knowledge across centuries of
Chinese political culture. Our tour had given all of us a better
understanding of the transformations that have brought this
nation into the twenty-first century, where globalism and
layered economic practices bring new challenges.
While in Beijing, we made a trip to the Great Wall, a site that no
visitor should miss out on. While there, everyone should take
the time to walk at least a part of this ancient fortress, which
kept out marauders and provided jobs for many laborers
over many years. Today the Wall serves as a major tourist
attraction, bringing revenues from throngs of visitors. A visit
to the Summer Palace and a lecture at Tsinghua University
capped off our trip.
We had seen a tiny part of this huge country, and met some
lovely people along the way. And in the process I had found
a response to the question I started out with, about whether
a leader is successful if his policies bring negative or even
tragic outcomes to his followers. I not only have an answer, I
also have a plan for challenging my History Day students to
look at leadership from perspectives they may have never
before considered.
2013 China Institute participants meeting with Chinese students in Hunan.
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015
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