Chapter 27 Weaving a real American dream for tens of millions of Chinese

A certain day in 1994.Beijing, Zhongnanhai. Chinese leaders are having cordial conversations with Li Wanruo and other Chinese-Americans.When talking about the issues between China and the United States, the leader said emotionally, we have great hopes for you, because you are of Chinese descent, and many of you were born in China, so you understand the oriental culture and the history of China's humiliation. This was Li Wanruo's first contact with high-level Chinese leaders. Li Wanruo deeply felt that there were too many aspects that needed to be communicated between the two big countries, China and the United States.After traveling between the two places many times, Li Wanruo felt that if there is a lot of mutual understanding and estrangement between China and the United States, it is often because China now knows far more about the United States than the United States knows about China.In today's Chinese TV, newspapers and other media, you can see all the situations in American society at any time. Even the presidential campaigns of Bush Jr. and Al Gore, almost nine out of ten people can give a general idea. They still know very little about China. It seems that apart from Nixon’s visit to China, Li Wenhe and these incidents, at most they know about the Great Wall, Peking Duck, and cheap textiles.

In October 2000, at the invitation of the Chinese government, global Chinese leaders held a conference in the beautiful Qingdao.After the meeting, Li Wanruo and more than 20 other important people were invited by the Chinese state leaders to gather in Beijing.During the conversation, Li Wanruo became more aware of one thing, that is, she should build a bridge of mutual understanding between China and the United States.As Li Wanruo, the current executive director of the East-West Center of the US State Department, she should be obliged to do her best. Li Wanruo’s understanding of the many conversations that Chinese leaders have made with him is that as an overseas Chinese, if he wants to repay his mother country, he must first be an excellent citizen of his destination, an outstanding citizen, and even a political and social leader in that country. Become an influential person on stage.However, Li Wanruo's understanding of his turbulent political career for decades is that personal strength is limited, and the unity and common will of the entire Chinese ethnic community is the key to influencing and improving the status of overseas Chinese.At this stage, the most urgent task is to cultivate and bring up generations of new leaders of Chinese descent.

In 2001, just after the opening of the port, the new administration of Bush Jr. in the White House of the United States brought a generous letter to Li Wanruo before it officially started work: a young Chinese lady whom she had paid close attention to for many years and had forged a friendship with was appointed as a member of the Federal Department of Labor. Minister, this Chinese is Zhao Xiaolan.Ms. Zhao was born in Taiwan in 1955 and moved to the United States with her parents when she was 10 years old. She graduated from Harvard University in 1979 with a master's degree.Later married Senator Mitchell McConnell. In 1989, he served as the deputy secretary of transportation in the Republican government.This time he served as the Secretary of Labor in the Bush administration, and he was the highest-ranking Chinese in the United States.

Li Wanruo has been paying attention to Zhao Xiaolan for a long time, and they became good sisters when Zhao just graduated from university and entered American society.Although Li Wanruo was 10 or 20 years older than Zhao Xiaolan, it was their common political beliefs that made them often get together and worry about the Chinese people in the United States.The American Chinese Women's Association, initiated by Li Wanruo, Zhang Zhixiang and others in 1973, is a large organization in the Chinese-American women's circle. Li Wanruo, the veteran and the third president, used this organization to cultivate and discover a group of Chinese-American women. Female politicians, Zhao Xiaolan is one of them.Now this organization has not only become an important political force in the American Chinese community, but their internal organization is also very sound.Last year, Li Wanruo participated in an activity of the American Chinese Women's Organization in Northern California. The head of the Chinese American Women's Organization there told her that their association had already arranged for the next three chapter presidents.It can be seen that generations of political successors are expected to thrive.

Another young man Li Wanruo is also proud of is Guo Zhiming, the current director of the Asia-Pacific Law Center, who is called Asian Jackson by the residents of the Asian community.Guo Zhiming can be said to be a new generation of Chinese leaders who Li Guiruo watched grow up. When Li Wanruo was the director of the Asian Affairs Department of the Los Angeles Department of Social Welfare in Rongshi, Guo Zhiming was a college student.Since Guo especially admired Li Wanruo's political demeanor and tolerance, he came to Li Wanruo's side during his internship.At that time, Li Wanruo's appeal for the rights of Asians and Chinese left a deep impression on Guo.This second-generation Chinese young man who studies law has in his heart the ambition to learn from Li Wanruo and become a legal worker who strives to serve the basic rights of Chinese Americans.After leaving the university, Guo Zhiming told Li Wanruo her thoughts. Li Wanruo, then the mayor of Meng City, agreed with Guo Zhiming's ideas very much, which was completely consistent with her consistent idea of ​​Chinese participation in politics.

With the support of Li Wanruo, the Preparatory Committee of the first Asia-Pacific Legal Service Center in Southern California was established. Li Wanruo, Zhu Miaozhen and other local influential Chinese leaders and famous lawyers are all members of this Preparatory Committee.Guo Zhiming gave up his high salary to serve as the director of the center, becoming the first permanent institution in Southern California to provide legal services for Chinese and Asian Americans.Since Guo Zhiming himself is upright and enthusiastically and honestly serves the vast number of Chinese and Asian residents, since its establishment in 1982, the center has gained a higher and higher reputation in the local area and has become the most influential organization in the United States to defend the rights of Chinese and Asians. legal institution.

Guo Zhiming himself grew up in the United States, but in order to learn more about oriental culture, he spared no effort to live in Hong Kong for a year. Miss China got married.Guo is determined to dedicate his life to the Chinese and Asian civil rights movement. His selfless and fearless actions have won wide acclaim from the Chinese and Asian communities in the United States. In 1998, Guo Zhiming was awarded the MacArthur Award, which has a great reputation among the American people. He was the first Asian lawyer to receive this award in history.Now, the Asia-Pacific Legal Service Center under his leadership has more than 40 full-time lawyers and more than 1,000 part-time staff.Many of the new generation of Chinese lawyers regard it as an honor to be able to work and practice at the Asia Pacific Service Center.The trouble is that the young Chinese of the new generation know that the voices uttered here are often the strongest voices for Chinese in America to defend their rights.

Li Wanruo has actively supported and cultivated many outstanding Chinese of the younger generation who are active in American politics today, such as Zhao Xiaolan and Guo Zhiming. City Councilors Jiang Guodong, Li Daqiang, and former Washington Governor Locke, etc., are all rising stars of Chinese descent that Li Wanruohuazan has worked hard to actively support. Among them is a young man named Kuang Jieling who Li Wanruo had actively supported is worth mentioning.Kwong is the adopted son of Yuegui Yu, a Chinese-American California leader and Democratic Party veteran.The young man had served in the U.S. Air Force and was also a lawyer. He had done a lot of work for his mother in politics. When he became an adult, Li Wanruo and the others were very happy.When Kuang Jieling was running for the treasurer of California, Li Wanruo worked tirelessly to solicit votes for this young man of different parties and ethnicity. Someone asked Li Wanruo curiously, why is it that you are the most staunch member of the Democratic Party and the leader of Asians in the Democratic Party? Enthusiastically support a dissident?Li Wanruo smiled and said that there is only one reason: he is Chinese, and if he succeeds in the election, he will be the person of our new generation of Chinese Americans who will get the highest position in California. To see one of my compatriots take up a high position in California, this is my one of the highest ideas.Li Wanruo cast her sacred vote for Kuang Jieling...

For the American dream of more Chinese compatriots, we can temporarily give up everything; for more Chinese compatriots to realize their American dream, we must strive for everything.This is a political slogan that Li Wanruo has said a lot. My understanding is: as a Chinese leader and a politician with rich experience, sometimes you have to give up everything and serve others wholeheartedly for the common interests of your compatriots.Similarly, when the interests of compatriots are hurt and violated, the body must go all out to fight for and defend them.And it is precisely this idea that made Li Wanruo weave an American dream in her heart after she stepped onto the political stage—her American dream is: to make every Chinese truly feel like living Just like in your own motherland, do all your duties and enjoy all the rights you should enjoy. There is no racial discrimination, you will not be squeezed out by any political forces, and you will not be a second-class citizen or a foreigner. Use your loyalty and hard work to create A happy and beautiful home and living and multiplying for future generations...

In order to realize this dream, Li Wanruo devoted all her life's strength.As a result, she became an important initiator and founder of dozens of major Chinese organizations in the United States, such as the Committee of 100, the National American Chinese Association, and the American Chinese Women's Association. She played a role in various fields and industries to fight for ethnic rights. In recent years, in her cooperation and exchanges with other ethnic groups, especially the Jewish and Latin ethnic groups, she has clearly realized that in the Chinese American community, it is necessary to play an active role in various associations and organizations, and at the same time, it should provide more support to the Jewish ethnic group. Learn.American Jews do not have as many groups and organizations as Chinese, but they are extremely united internally, especially when ethnic interests or compatriots of the same race are hurt, their spirit of unity and the strength of their formation are admirable.The Chinese are just not doing enough in this regard.

In a state of California, the number of Chinese and Asians has surpassed that of other ethnic groups. There are hundreds of well-known Chinese groups and organizations with names and surnames. When it is violated, it cannot form a force.This is a major problem that Li Wanruo thinks about and hopes to solve.It is gratifying that, with the efforts of her and many Chinese-Americans of insight, this vassal-like structure is being gradually replaced by a brand-new Chinese-American organizational form. What Li Wanruo is happiest and most proud of now is that she can often hear her grandchildren tell you loudly when they talk about their ideals in the Chinese community: My future wish is to be the president of the United States... These were the words of children with yellow skin, black eyes, and fluent English. Their confidence and straightforwardness made Li Wanruo feel a kind of joy like that of an old gardener in front of a good harvest. Oh, this is all the dreams and hopes of her—a Chinese-American politician.