My Forty Years in East China and West America: The Extra Requirements of My Life

by Philip Fei Wu

Overview

Philip Fei Wu was born in the outskirts of Shanghai, the "Venice of the East," where he lived the first 35 years of his life and endured the Chinese political turbulence. From his teens, all throughout early adulthood, the author experienced the worst of human cruelty and madness in China during the government transition and "cultural revolution." Wu underwent a tremendous amount of hardship and risked his freedom to educate himself, a pursuit that would have surely ended in his prosecution. In the early 1980s, he came to America as an international student where he was faced with culture shock, financial instability, and the never-ending fear of his uncertain future. Only the author himself could bring to life the sadness, courage, disappointment and triumph of his trials and tribulations in this very personal memoir. My Forty Years in East China and West America is Philip Wu's story in English, rewritten from the original Chinese version. Characterized by the comparison of different ways of thinking among Chinese and American people, between communist and capitalist societies, the book includes many insightful stories. The courage to fight in adversity, perseverance, decision-making, will power, an optimistic attitude, and a respect for God, Wu demonstrates these virtues and brings to life his innumerable struggles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761839729
Publisher:	Hamilton Books
Publication date:	04/28/2008
Pages:	410
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Philip Fei Wu came to the U.S. as a foreign student in 1981 and received his bachelor's degree in 1983. He then received his Master's Degree in International Economics from the University of San Francisco. Other works by the author include: Business Environments in Mainland China, My Unusual College Education (full-text Chinese, 2004), and Dangerous Honeymoon (full-text Chinese, 2005).

Table of Contents

Part 1 Foreword by Dr. David Yon Kong Hsu
Part 2 Preface
Part 3 Acknowledgements
Chapter 4 Introduction
Chapter 5 Born in a Miniature Asian Venice-like town at the Time of Changing Government
Chapter 6 Father Left, Mother Died, We Lived with Great Parents
Chapter 7 Migrating to Shanghai City
Chapter 8 Independence Began at Six
Chapter 9 The Nourishment and Refreshment of the Countryside
Chapter 10 My Middle School: in the "Great Leap Forward" Time, Hometown Jiashan "Entering Communism Beforehand"
Chapter 11 My High School Years and the Three of "Natural Disasters"
Chapter 12 Great Mother Passed Away, The Disastrous Years
Chapter 13 A Letter from Hong Kong
Chapter 14 The Battle to Enter College—Desperation For a Government Job
Chapter 15 Taiwan "Going to Retrieve Mainland," Two Brothers "Kicked Out of School"
Chapter 16 Pushed to "New Border"
Chapter 17 The Orbit of Marching Route Is Never Straight, Brother Enters High School Again
Chapter 18 Rejected For College Again, The Backbone of Family Dies
Chapter 19 China before the Cultural Revolution, The Calm before the Storm
Chapter 20 The Cultural Revolution Begins, I Was Mobilized to New Border Areas Again
Chapter 21 The Cultural Revolution Nears Its Climax
Chapter 22 Shanghai Is Burning
Chapter 23 Battle between "Rebel" and "Escaped Landlord"
Chapter 24 Notre Dame vs. Red Guard
Chapter 25 "The Education System Needs a Revolution" The Hope Returning to Schools Was Gone
Chapter 26 The Brothers Leave the City, Get Up With the Sunrise, Go to Bed with the Sunset
Chapter 27 Life in the Countryside
Chapter 28 I Was Criticized Openly, But When I Spoke They Retreated
Chapter 29 The Upper. Looking for a Beautiful Girl in a Sea of Red
Chapter 30 The Sex Offender, The Promising Political Star
Chapter 31 From Commander-In-Chief Fission Into Insurgent and Traitor
Chapter 32 Close to Death Two Twice
Chapter 33 The Literature Nourishes Me
Chapter 34 Blind People on a Blind Horse
Chapter 35 God Sees the Truth, But Waits
Chapter 36 God Saved the King, the King Should Have Saved the People
Chapter 37 Is It a Bad or Good Omen, If a Meteorite Falls?
Chapter 38 Prepare For the Future—Work Hard And Sharpen the Mind
Chapter 39 The Waltz of the Visa Application
Chapter 40 On the Table, Under the Table
Chapter 41 Even the "Trajectory" to Say Farewell in China can Never Be a Straight Line
Chapter 42 Shanghainese vs. Cantonese, East Chinese vs. South Chinese
Chapter 43 The Hidden Words
Chapter 44 The Character of the Controlled and Oppressed
Chapter 45 Burning Hair in a Blast Furnace
Chapter 46 Time Should Not Be Spent Waiting
Chapter 47 Brother Crosses the Border to Hong Kong
Chapter 48 The Corner Turned
Chapter 49 The Reunion Between Son and Father After Thirty Years
Chapter 50 If You Dream, Dream Big
Chapter 51 To Catch the Last Train to My University
Chapter 52 The Green Jadeite Ring
Chapter 53 The Celebration with Worries
Chapter 54 A Lesson before My Journey to America
Chapter 55 New Year's Day Uncelebrated
Chapter 56 First Time in Wonderland World
Chapter 57 The Life of A Working Student
Chapter 58 The Days without Health Insurance
Chapter 59 The First Glorious Day of My Life. Two and One Half Years for My Bachelor's Degree
Chapter 60 U. S. Immigration Law
Chapter 61 A One-Man Crusade
Chapter 62 My D-Day
Chapter 63 A Long March by Myself
Chapter 64 My Graduation Thesis and Dr. Yuang Li Wu's Prediction
Chapter 65 Job-Hunting of an E.T.
Chapter 66 A Day full of Sunshine
Chapter 67 An Angel's Departure
Chapter 68 A Newborn Calf Fears No Tiger
Chapter 69 Being a Boss Without Realizing the Danger, How I Used Dr. Lehman's Teaching in Practice
Chapter 70 God Helps Those who Help Themselves
Chapter 71 The Reward for Honesty—My Wife and Daughter's Lives in Shanghai
Chapter 72 For a Knife, It Is the Sharpness That Counts, Not the Size
Chapter 73 Hardship Is the Best Way to Shape Personality
Chapter 74 Two Accidents
Chapter 75 My Business Principles
Chapter 76 An Intrusion Not by Criminals, But by Police
Chapter 77 Change of Immigration Status
Chapter 78 The Death of My Father—A Journey Away From Home, Never to Return
Chapter 79 My Sister from Taiwan
Chapter 80 March Toward a Green Card Following in the Footsteps of Smart People
Chapter 81 A Man Should Know When to Save and When to Spend
Chapter 82 The Story of My Two Classmates in China
Chapter 83 The Changing Fate of Christmas Cards
Chapter 84 The Benefit of a Green Card and a Special Grant for Two Pounds of Powdered Milk
Chapter 85 An Unexpected Obstacle to My Family Reunion-The Event of June 4th, 1989
Chapter 86 Never Wait Until the Flood Is Rising
Chapter 87 The Gift of the Magi
Chapter 88 I Have Been Trying My Best
Chapter 89 You Are the Only One Responsible for Your Business
Chapter 90 The Golden Autumn of San Francisco
Chapter 91 My Wife and Daughter Finally Immigrate to U.S.
Chapter 92 One Day + Nine Years = Ten Years

Editorial Reviews

I believe all parents would want their children to read this book.

Z. L. Feng

I believe all parents would want their children to read this book.--Z. L. Feng, Starite Book Co.

From the Publisher