A prominent American's letter to his grandchildren
By Stuart Symington Jr
The writer, a Harvard law professor, comes from a prominent American family. His great-grandfather John Hay had served twice as Secretary of State. His father had been a Senator and Secretary of the Air Force and his younger brother a former congressman. Finding China's phenomenal progress awesome after a recent trip there, he wrote a letter to his grandchildren on the importance to get along with China, which he said may become the most powerful country in the world.
Dear Grandchildren,
This is a letter from your grandfather to all of his grandchildren. The ones who are old enough to read are getting it direct. I'm sending it to the parents of the ones who are not old enough to read.
The purpose of this letter is to encourage all of you to study as much as you can about China. The reason is that we live in an increasingly internationalised world. The tragic attacks of September 11 show that the oceans no longer protect us from our enemies. We need all the friends abroad we can get. To that end we should study how to get along with China, the most populous country in the world. Based on your grandmother's and my recent trip to China, it may also become the most powerful country in the world during your lifetime. Another reason for getting along with China, whether you like to get along or not！
There are many ways to learn about a foreign country. At a minimum, I urge you to pay special attention to the history of China, its geography, geology, political and economic system, ecology, culture, （ethnicity, different ethnic groups—what we call “minorities”） religious groups and beliefs, architecture and archeology.
There are 1.25 billion people in China. That makes China's population about five times ours. So a very small percentage of the Chinese population can be a lot of people by our standards—scientists, athletes, businessmen, customers, philosophers, poets and friends. On the other hand, what may seem a lot of people to us may be just a tiny minority to the Chinese. We might think a crowd of 10 or 20 thousand people a big number, but by Chinese standards it would not be big at all.
One way to learn about a country is to collect its stamps. They tell you a lot about what is going on in the country.
When your grandmother and I asked our granddaughter Janey what kind of college she was interested in, she had a one-word reply: “Diversity.” I agree with her 100%. I think that tolerance of diversity will be the key to the survival of the United States in the 21st century.
Beyond the basics of special attention to China in your school courses, and any electives you have an opportunity to take in college, I encourage you to try to get to know Chinese people in the United States, and to travel to China if you get the chance, to see for yourselves what is going on there.
What is going on there can be described in one word. Awesome！ China has a booming free market economy. Its liberal Communist government has given free enterprise all the latitude that most of the people can live with. China has had terrible famines in the past. Twenty million Chinese perished of hunger under Mao's Great Leap Forward. The Chinese do not hate Mao for that. He made a mistake, they say. But they used to eat grass, and now they eat wheat and rice, so they are not bitter about Mao.
China does deny civil rights, and its society is not perfect, no society is perfect. But your grandmother and I were very impressed by the energy of the Chinese people, their work ethic, their pride in their country and culture, their practicality, and the rapid development of the Chinese economy. We flew all over China, in planes that were all new, made by Boeing in a Chinese plant.
Beyond study, stamps, acquaintanceship and travel lies still another way to learn about China. That is by studying the Chinese language. It is difficult, but it is fascinating. Selective schools and colleges already offer Mandarin, the principal dialect. The way to learn is by immersion—to talk it all the time in class, and spend a term, a year or a long summer vacation in the country.
I feel comfortable about bringing the subject of the Chinese language to your attention, because our family is apparently genetically programmed to speak foreign languages. Use the skills you have. Already, Janey and Stuartie are working on being tri-lingual, and their parents have achieved this.
We have another family connection with China that you should know about. About one hundred years ago, your great, great, great grandfather, John Hay, was the United State's Secretary of State. He initiated what was called the Open Door policy, which at the time we thought was a good thing for both China and the United States. I think that the Chinese did not agree, then or now, that it was good for China. But that is the true history of the past involvement of our family with China.
Mr. Hay was once asked by reporters about the results of a conference he had just had with the Chinese ambassador to the United States, Mr. Wu. Mr. Hay responded, “I am not sure. After conferring for three hours, Mr. Hay was woozy and Mr. Wu was hazy.”
The history books are full of the total inability of parents, and maybe grandparents too, to convince their children how to live and what to do. A famous example of this is the letters Lord Chesterfield wrote giving good advice to his son. They are considered the outstanding examples of good advice. Unfortunately, the son paid absolutely no attention to what his father told him.
Please take this letter as an effort by your loving grandfather to peer ahead into a world that will not be as easy for you as we expected it would be before September 11. You all live far away and I do not often get the chance to talk with you. Please do not consider this letter as a demand. I wanted to tell you my thoughts, the product of a two-week trip to China, a place I never imagined I would have the opportunity to see.
If any of you want to talk about this subject some more, please write or e-mail me your thoughts, or we can talk about your ideas when you are here this Christmas.
Much love to you all,
Your Grandfather,
Stuart Symington, Jr.
學(xué)會(huì)和中國(guó)打交道
——一個(gè)美國(guó)名人給孫兒們的信
● 史托爾。西敏頓
作者是哈佛大學(xué)法學(xué)院博士,來自一個(gè)極具聲望的美國(guó)家庭。他的曾外祖父海依曾任兩屆國(guó)務(wù)卿。父親曾是參議員和空軍部長(zhǎng),弟弟也是前眾議員。他近到中國(guó)旅游,深感中國(guó)的快速發(fā)展令人敬畏。因此,他寫了一封信給他的孫子們,告訴他們中國(guó)可能成為世界上強(qiáng)大的國(guó)家,不管他們喜不喜歡,都得學(xué)會(huì)和中國(guó)交往。
親愛的孫子們:
這是你們的祖父寫給他所有孫兒們的信。我已經(jīng)直接寫給那些能夠獨(dú)立閱讀的孩子們,至于現(xiàn)在還不會(huì)閱讀的孩子們,我則將信寄給你們的父母,由他們把內(nèi)容轉(zhuǎn)告你們。
寫這封信的目的,是鼓勵(lì)你們盡可能多多學(xué)習(xí)有關(guān)中國(guó)的知識(shí),因?yàn)槲覀儸F(xiàn)在是生活在一個(gè)越來越國(guó)際化的世界里。九一一悲劇告訴我們,遼闊的海洋再也不足以保護(hù)我們免受敵人的攻擊。我們需要朋友,越多越好。因此,我們需要研究如何同中國(guó),這個(gè)在世界上擁有多人口的國(guó)家交往。根據(jù)你們的祖母和我近到中國(guó)旅行的經(jīng)歷,我們認(rèn)為中國(guó)有可能在你們有生之年,成為世界上強(qiáng)大的國(guó)家。也就是說,不管你們喜不喜歡,都要學(xué)會(huì)和中國(guó)打交道。
要了解一個(gè)國(guó)家有很多途徑,起碼,我鼓勵(lì)你們要特別關(guān)注中國(guó)的歷史、地理、地形、政治和經(jīng)濟(jì)體制、生態(tài)、文化、民俗、不同的種族（也就是我們所說的少數(shù)民族）、宗教組織和信仰、建筑和歷史遺跡。
中國(guó)有12億5000萬人口,是我們?nèi)丝诘奈灞丁Ｋ砸恍〔糠值闹袊?guó)人對(duì)我們來說,就是一個(gè)很大的絕對(duì)數(shù)字——例如科學(xué)家、運(yùn)動(dòng)員、商人、客戶、哲學(xué)家、詩人和朋友等。從另一角度來看,我們眼里的一大群人,對(duì)中國(guó)來說,只是一小部分人。例如,我們認(rèn)為一萬或者兩萬人是一大群人,但以中國(guó)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來說,這數(shù)目可以說是微不足道。
收集一個(gè)國(guó)家的郵票,是了解這個(gè)國(guó)家的一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的辦法。郵票會(huì)讓你知道許多這個(gè)國(guó)家正在發(fā)生的事情。
當(dāng)你們的祖母和我問我們的外孫女簡(jiǎn)妮,她想上什么樣的大學(xué)時(shí),她的回答是“提供多樣化課程的大學(xué)”。我完全贊成她的選擇。我認(rèn)為容忍多樣化是美國(guó)在21世紀(jì)生存的關(guān)鍵。
除了特別關(guān)注學(xué)校里的中國(guó)課程,和可以選讀的任何有關(guān)中國(guó)的課程,我也鼓勵(lì)你們多認(rèn)識(shí)身在美國(guó)的中國(guó)人,或者到中國(guó)去旅行,親身體驗(yàn)?zāi)抢锏囊磺小?BR> 那里發(fā)生的一切可說是令人敬畏。中國(guó)有一個(gè)蓬勃的自由市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì),共產(chǎn)黨給予企業(yè)家大多數(shù)人可以接受的發(fā)展空間。中國(guó)過去發(fā)生過可怕的饑荒。在毛澤東的大躍進(jìn)時(shí)代,餓死了兩千萬人。中國(guó)人民并不因此憎恨毛澤東。他們只是說,他犯了一個(gè)錯(cuò)誤。他們那時(shí)只能吃草,現(xiàn)在卻能夠吃小麥和大米,所以他們從不曾痛恨毛澤東。
中國(guó)確實(shí)不尊重人權(quán),其社會(huì)也遠(yuǎn)非完美。但是,沒有一個(gè)社會(huì)是完美的。中國(guó)人民旺盛的精力、對(duì)工作的認(rèn)真態(tài)度、對(duì)自己國(guó)家和文化的自豪、務(wù)實(shí)的精神和快速增長(zhǎng)的經(jīng)濟(jì),給你們的祖母和我留下深刻的印象。我們飛遍了中國(guó),坐的都是波音公司在中國(guó)制造的嶄新飛機(jī)。
除了學(xué)習(xí)、收集郵票、和中國(guó)人交朋友和到中國(guó)旅行,還有一個(gè)辦法認(rèn)識(shí)中國(guó),就是學(xué)習(xí)華文。這很難,但是卻充滿樂趣。一些學(xué)校和大學(xué)已經(jīng)有普通話班。普通話是他們用來溝通的主要語言。學(xué)習(xí)語文的方法就是完全投入——在班上用華語交談,或者在中國(guó)住上一個(gè)學(xué)期、一年或一個(gè)長(zhǎng)暑假。
我不覺得向你們提出學(xué)習(xí)華文有什么問題,大概是因?yàn)榛虻年P(guān)系,我們的家族很善于說外國(guó)語言。好好利用你們的優(yōu)點(diǎn)。簡(jiǎn)妮和斯圖爾迪已經(jīng)在努力學(xué)習(xí),要和他們的父母一樣精通三種語文。
我應(yīng)該告訴你們,你們和中國(guó)還有一層特殊的關(guān)系。百余年前,你們的高曾祖（編按:即前后六代人）約翰海依（John Hay）,是當(dāng)時(shí)的美國(guó)國(guó)務(wù)卿。他首先向中國(guó)提出了開放門戶的要求,即的“開放門戶政策”。那時(shí)我們認(rèn)為這對(duì)中國(guó)和美國(guó),都是一項(xiàng)有利的政策。我想中國(guó)人并不認(rèn)為這對(duì)他們有利,不管是當(dāng)時(shí)還是現(xiàn)在。這段歷史,是我們家族和中國(guó)的一段淵源。
有,在和中國(guó)清朝駐美國(guó)的吳大使會(huì)談后,有記者在記者會(huì)問我的外祖父即你們的高曾祖會(huì)談的結(jié)果,他幽默的說:“我不能肯定,經(jīng)過了三小時(shí)的商談,我依然困惑,吳大使則還是毫無頭緒?！?BR> 歷史書里充滿了父母,甚至祖父母,完全無法讓孩子依照他們的教誨做人的故事。舉一個(gè)有名的例子,切斯特菲爾德爵士在給他的孩子的信里,提出很多有用的勸告,但是他的孩子總是不以為然。
請(qǐng)把這封信當(dāng)成深愛你們的祖父,對(duì)九一一悲劇以后,更加艱難的世局的一種探索。因?yàn)槟銈兌甲〉煤苓h(yuǎn),我很少有機(jī)會(huì)和你們交談。不要把這封信看做是我對(duì)你們的要求,它是我在中國(guó),一個(gè)我曾經(jīng)認(rèn)為我自己永遠(yuǎn)都不會(huì)有機(jī)會(huì)去拜訪的國(guó)家,度過兩個(gè)星期后的一些感想。
如果你們想繼續(xù)討論中國(guó)的問題,可以寫信或電子郵件給我,或者我們也可以在圣誕節(jié)見面時(shí)再談。
By Stuart Symington Jr
The writer, a Harvard law professor, comes from a prominent American family. His great-grandfather John Hay had served twice as Secretary of State. His father had been a Senator and Secretary of the Air Force and his younger brother a former congressman. Finding China's phenomenal progress awesome after a recent trip there, he wrote a letter to his grandchildren on the importance to get along with China, which he said may become the most powerful country in the world.
Dear Grandchildren,
This is a letter from your grandfather to all of his grandchildren. The ones who are old enough to read are getting it direct. I'm sending it to the parents of the ones who are not old enough to read.
The purpose of this letter is to encourage all of you to study as much as you can about China. The reason is that we live in an increasingly internationalised world. The tragic attacks of September 11 show that the oceans no longer protect us from our enemies. We need all the friends abroad we can get. To that end we should study how to get along with China, the most populous country in the world. Based on your grandmother's and my recent trip to China, it may also become the most powerful country in the world during your lifetime. Another reason for getting along with China, whether you like to get along or not！
There are many ways to learn about a foreign country. At a minimum, I urge you to pay special attention to the history of China, its geography, geology, political and economic system, ecology, culture, （ethnicity, different ethnic groups—what we call “minorities”） religious groups and beliefs, architecture and archeology.
There are 1.25 billion people in China. That makes China's population about five times ours. So a very small percentage of the Chinese population can be a lot of people by our standards—scientists, athletes, businessmen, customers, philosophers, poets and friends. On the other hand, what may seem a lot of people to us may be just a tiny minority to the Chinese. We might think a crowd of 10 or 20 thousand people a big number, but by Chinese standards it would not be big at all.
One way to learn about a country is to collect its stamps. They tell you a lot about what is going on in the country.
When your grandmother and I asked our granddaughter Janey what kind of college she was interested in, she had a one-word reply: “Diversity.” I agree with her 100%. I think that tolerance of diversity will be the key to the survival of the United States in the 21st century.
Beyond the basics of special attention to China in your school courses, and any electives you have an opportunity to take in college, I encourage you to try to get to know Chinese people in the United States, and to travel to China if you get the chance, to see for yourselves what is going on there.
What is going on there can be described in one word. Awesome！ China has a booming free market economy. Its liberal Communist government has given free enterprise all the latitude that most of the people can live with. China has had terrible famines in the past. Twenty million Chinese perished of hunger under Mao's Great Leap Forward. The Chinese do not hate Mao for that. He made a mistake, they say. But they used to eat grass, and now they eat wheat and rice, so they are not bitter about Mao.
China does deny civil rights, and its society is not perfect, no society is perfect. But your grandmother and I were very impressed by the energy of the Chinese people, their work ethic, their pride in their country and culture, their practicality, and the rapid development of the Chinese economy. We flew all over China, in planes that were all new, made by Boeing in a Chinese plant.
Beyond study, stamps, acquaintanceship and travel lies still another way to learn about China. That is by studying the Chinese language. It is difficult, but it is fascinating. Selective schools and colleges already offer Mandarin, the principal dialect. The way to learn is by immersion—to talk it all the time in class, and spend a term, a year or a long summer vacation in the country.
I feel comfortable about bringing the subject of the Chinese language to your attention, because our family is apparently genetically programmed to speak foreign languages. Use the skills you have. Already, Janey and Stuartie are working on being tri-lingual, and their parents have achieved this.
We have another family connection with China that you should know about. About one hundred years ago, your great, great, great grandfather, John Hay, was the United State's Secretary of State. He initiated what was called the Open Door policy, which at the time we thought was a good thing for both China and the United States. I think that the Chinese did not agree, then or now, that it was good for China. But that is the true history of the past involvement of our family with China.
Mr. Hay was once asked by reporters about the results of a conference he had just had with the Chinese ambassador to the United States, Mr. Wu. Mr. Hay responded, “I am not sure. After conferring for three hours, Mr. Hay was woozy and Mr. Wu was hazy.”
The history books are full of the total inability of parents, and maybe grandparents too, to convince their children how to live and what to do. A famous example of this is the letters Lord Chesterfield wrote giving good advice to his son. They are considered the outstanding examples of good advice. Unfortunately, the son paid absolutely no attention to what his father told him.
Please take this letter as an effort by your loving grandfather to peer ahead into a world that will not be as easy for you as we expected it would be before September 11. You all live far away and I do not often get the chance to talk with you. Please do not consider this letter as a demand. I wanted to tell you my thoughts, the product of a two-week trip to China, a place I never imagined I would have the opportunity to see.
If any of you want to talk about this subject some more, please write or e-mail me your thoughts, or we can talk about your ideas when you are here this Christmas.
Much love to you all,
Your Grandfather,
Stuart Symington, Jr.
學(xué)會(huì)和中國(guó)打交道
——一個(gè)美國(guó)名人給孫兒們的信
● 史托爾。西敏頓
作者是哈佛大學(xué)法學(xué)院博士,來自一個(gè)極具聲望的美國(guó)家庭。他的曾外祖父海依曾任兩屆國(guó)務(wù)卿。父親曾是參議員和空軍部長(zhǎng),弟弟也是前眾議員。他近到中國(guó)旅游,深感中國(guó)的快速發(fā)展令人敬畏。因此,他寫了一封信給他的孫子們,告訴他們中國(guó)可能成為世界上強(qiáng)大的國(guó)家,不管他們喜不喜歡,都得學(xué)會(huì)和中國(guó)交往。
親愛的孫子們:
這是你們的祖父寫給他所有孫兒們的信。我已經(jīng)直接寫給那些能夠獨(dú)立閱讀的孩子們,至于現(xiàn)在還不會(huì)閱讀的孩子們,我則將信寄給你們的父母,由他們把內(nèi)容轉(zhuǎn)告你們。
寫這封信的目的,是鼓勵(lì)你們盡可能多多學(xué)習(xí)有關(guān)中國(guó)的知識(shí),因?yàn)槲覀儸F(xiàn)在是生活在一個(gè)越來越國(guó)際化的世界里。九一一悲劇告訴我們,遼闊的海洋再也不足以保護(hù)我們免受敵人的攻擊。我們需要朋友,越多越好。因此,我們需要研究如何同中國(guó),這個(gè)在世界上擁有多人口的國(guó)家交往。根據(jù)你們的祖母和我近到中國(guó)旅行的經(jīng)歷,我們認(rèn)為中國(guó)有可能在你們有生之年,成為世界上強(qiáng)大的國(guó)家。也就是說,不管你們喜不喜歡,都要學(xué)會(huì)和中國(guó)打交道。
要了解一個(gè)國(guó)家有很多途徑,起碼,我鼓勵(lì)你們要特別關(guān)注中國(guó)的歷史、地理、地形、政治和經(jīng)濟(jì)體制、生態(tài)、文化、民俗、不同的種族（也就是我們所說的少數(shù)民族）、宗教組織和信仰、建筑和歷史遺跡。
中國(guó)有12億5000萬人口,是我們?nèi)丝诘奈灞丁Ｋ砸恍〔糠值闹袊?guó)人對(duì)我們來說,就是一個(gè)很大的絕對(duì)數(shù)字——例如科學(xué)家、運(yùn)動(dòng)員、商人、客戶、哲學(xué)家、詩人和朋友等。從另一角度來看,我們眼里的一大群人,對(duì)中國(guó)來說,只是一小部分人。例如,我們認(rèn)為一萬或者兩萬人是一大群人,但以中國(guó)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來說,這數(shù)目可以說是微不足道。
收集一個(gè)國(guó)家的郵票,是了解這個(gè)國(guó)家的一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的辦法。郵票會(huì)讓你知道許多這個(gè)國(guó)家正在發(fā)生的事情。
當(dāng)你們的祖母和我問我們的外孫女簡(jiǎn)妮,她想上什么樣的大學(xué)時(shí),她的回答是“提供多樣化課程的大學(xué)”。我完全贊成她的選擇。我認(rèn)為容忍多樣化是美國(guó)在21世紀(jì)生存的關(guān)鍵。
除了特別關(guān)注學(xué)校里的中國(guó)課程,和可以選讀的任何有關(guān)中國(guó)的課程,我也鼓勵(lì)你們多認(rèn)識(shí)身在美國(guó)的中國(guó)人,或者到中國(guó)去旅行,親身體驗(yàn)?zāi)抢锏囊磺小?BR> 那里發(fā)生的一切可說是令人敬畏。中國(guó)有一個(gè)蓬勃的自由市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì),共產(chǎn)黨給予企業(yè)家大多數(shù)人可以接受的發(fā)展空間。中國(guó)過去發(fā)生過可怕的饑荒。在毛澤東的大躍進(jìn)時(shí)代,餓死了兩千萬人。中國(guó)人民并不因此憎恨毛澤東。他們只是說,他犯了一個(gè)錯(cuò)誤。他們那時(shí)只能吃草,現(xiàn)在卻能夠吃小麥和大米,所以他們從不曾痛恨毛澤東。
中國(guó)確實(shí)不尊重人權(quán),其社會(huì)也遠(yuǎn)非完美。但是,沒有一個(gè)社會(huì)是完美的。中國(guó)人民旺盛的精力、對(duì)工作的認(rèn)真態(tài)度、對(duì)自己國(guó)家和文化的自豪、務(wù)實(shí)的精神和快速增長(zhǎng)的經(jīng)濟(jì),給你們的祖母和我留下深刻的印象。我們飛遍了中國(guó),坐的都是波音公司在中國(guó)制造的嶄新飛機(jī)。
除了學(xué)習(xí)、收集郵票、和中國(guó)人交朋友和到中國(guó)旅行,還有一個(gè)辦法認(rèn)識(shí)中國(guó),就是學(xué)習(xí)華文。這很難,但是卻充滿樂趣。一些學(xué)校和大學(xué)已經(jīng)有普通話班。普通話是他們用來溝通的主要語言。學(xué)習(xí)語文的方法就是完全投入——在班上用華語交談,或者在中國(guó)住上一個(gè)學(xué)期、一年或一個(gè)長(zhǎng)暑假。
我不覺得向你們提出學(xué)習(xí)華文有什么問題,大概是因?yàn)榛虻年P(guān)系,我們的家族很善于說外國(guó)語言。好好利用你們的優(yōu)點(diǎn)。簡(jiǎn)妮和斯圖爾迪已經(jīng)在努力學(xué)習(xí),要和他們的父母一樣精通三種語文。
我應(yīng)該告訴你們,你們和中國(guó)還有一層特殊的關(guān)系。百余年前,你們的高曾祖（編按:即前后六代人）約翰海依（John Hay）,是當(dāng)時(shí)的美國(guó)國(guó)務(wù)卿。他首先向中國(guó)提出了開放門戶的要求,即的“開放門戶政策”。那時(shí)我們認(rèn)為這對(duì)中國(guó)和美國(guó),都是一項(xiàng)有利的政策。我想中國(guó)人并不認(rèn)為這對(duì)他們有利,不管是當(dāng)時(shí)還是現(xiàn)在。這段歷史,是我們家族和中國(guó)的一段淵源。
有,在和中國(guó)清朝駐美國(guó)的吳大使會(huì)談后,有記者在記者會(huì)問我的外祖父即你們的高曾祖會(huì)談的結(jié)果,他幽默的說:“我不能肯定,經(jīng)過了三小時(shí)的商談,我依然困惑,吳大使則還是毫無頭緒?！?BR> 歷史書里充滿了父母,甚至祖父母,完全無法讓孩子依照他們的教誨做人的故事。舉一個(gè)有名的例子,切斯特菲爾德爵士在給他的孩子的信里,提出很多有用的勸告,但是他的孩子總是不以為然。
請(qǐng)把這封信當(dāng)成深愛你們的祖父,對(duì)九一一悲劇以后,更加艱難的世局的一種探索。因?yàn)槟銈兌甲〉煤苓h(yuǎn),我很少有機(jī)會(huì)和你們交談。不要把這封信看做是我對(duì)你們的要求,它是我在中國(guó),一個(gè)我曾經(jīng)認(rèn)為我自己永遠(yuǎn)都不會(huì)有機(jī)會(huì)去拜訪的國(guó)家,度過兩個(gè)星期后的一些感想。
如果你們想繼續(xù)討論中國(guó)的問題,可以寫信或電子郵件給我,或者我們也可以在圣誕節(jié)見面時(shí)再談。