China, My Past and Future: 中国,我的过去与未来

I awoke this morning at Kellian, my Bostonian dancing friends flat in Shanghai. We had spent the previous evening dancing Lindy Hop at Shanghai Swing's Halloween Party. This was held in a pretty little pub in the rather nice Shanghai district just of Huai Hai Road next to the expensive Dong Zhu Hotel. Some of the dancing was awesome. I had slept soundly to awake to the beautiful view over Shanghai stretching out from Kellian's flat.

No one else stirred in the house and I lay on the bed enjoying th eview and thinking about how lucky I was and how good life had been to me.

I was really enjoying China, my students, my colleagues, my social friends and beautiful Suzhou my new city. The first week of the new academic year of the International Foundation Year at our college sited on the premises of Number 1 Middle School on Guan Yuang Lu (Public Park Road) had been a really lovely experience for me. Our students are young fresh and shyly confident about themselves and their future. They had been great fun and a pleasure to teach. My colleagues were all trully wonderful in supporting me personally and in my task as their boss. I am finding the whole business of management, largely because of them, a joy. Together they have made a significant contribution to running the school economically while maintaining our existing high standards. The adminstrative staff have been brilliant in support. Misunderstandings have indeed occurred we are a cultural diverse bunch the expatriates, me a Scot, an Englishman an Australian and a Phillipino and 11 Chinese staff.

Not only is the cultural divide wide so are the wage levels. Our company pays the market price for the best of each group and the expatriates thus earn ten times more than their Chinese colleagues and get free accomodation into the bargain. However every one has played a great part in our work and the storms of emotional upset and even some anger that have flared up did just that that and died away. I am increasingly confident that we have all learnt lessons that will ensure future misunderstaning does not lead to personal hurt.

All this went through my mind with gratitude to my ex wife Susan for divorcing me and letting me in consequence deal with dimensions of life that would otherwise have passed me by. This was to be underlined later in the day when I was on the express train back to Suzhou as I listened to a married couple complaining about the trivia of life to but invariably passing by the other. They were clearly retired and well off touring China at their leisure with a guide but they were missing, oh so much about life and what China has to offer all our futures.

My blessings are legion - true reconciliation with my mother just three weeks before she died two weeks ago, an oportunity to discover myself and make my self whole in my own and other's interest particularly my daughter, a better understanding of human beings generally and women in particular gained at some expense to those who have befriended me and from whom I have experiences motivating hurt and no doubt imposed hurt upon them.

I have a vison of a reconciled world on the "Way" (Dao) by means and in the context set out by Lao Tzu in the "Tai Te Ching". I have written and published twice about this now and have an as yet unpublished manuscript on the way. However to write further on the matters that are of concern to us all. I feel I must understand the key player in all our futures better. So I must learn to speak, read and write Chinese and I am beginning to do all three at a rate that amazes me.

I am also so so lucky in being given a bunch of the brightest and best kids in China to help develop. When my age they will have awesome economic and social power and I can already see their is every chance that they can and will weild it in the caring non-judgemental manner Lao Tzu envisages as appropriate for the most effective social leadership.


今天早上我醒来时kellian,我国波士顿上海楼朋友共舞.我们已经花了前一晚在上海跳摇摆舞交椅的万圣节晚会.这是一个漂亮的小酒吧举行,而在上海地区刚刚尼斯淮海路旁边的朱冬昂贵酒店.有些舞蹈是撼人.我醒来睡稳妥地伸展到美丽,从上海出kellian单位.没有人在家里和我搅躺在床上吃次分类号并思考如何如何好,我是幸运的生命已经给我.我是真的享受中,我的学生,我的同事,我美丽的苏州我的新朋友和社会的城市.第一周新学年的国际基金会于去年在我们学院校址位于一号路中学管渊(公园路)一直很可爱的经验.新鲜和畏缩是青年学生对自己和未来充满信心.他们被教导大乐趣和高兴.真正精彩的同事都在支持我个人和我的任务当作自己的老板.我发现整个业务管理,主要是因为其中一名喜悦.他们一起作出了重大贡献,在保持经济运行学校现有高标准.灿烂的行政人员一直在支持.误会既然已经发生,我们的文化多样一群外籍我一个苏格兰人,英国人和一名澳大利亚人和11phillipino中国员工.不仅如此广泛的文化鸿沟是工资水平.我们公司对市场价格的最好自付每一组和外籍从而赚取十倍以上,并得到中国同行免费住宿的呢.但是每个人都发挥了很大的部分,在我们的工作和暴风雨的愤怒情绪,甚至有些懊恼,却也发作而死亡,只是离开.我越来越有信心,我们都学到教训,确保将来不会导致人身伤害误区.这一切经历我心中当然感激我的妻子苏珊和我离婚让我在生活层面处理后果,否则我过去了.这是当天晚些时候将着重就当我回到苏州快车夫妇听到抱怨生活剪影及格但总是被对方.他们显然和离退休富裕的中国旅游休闲指南>却不翼而飞了,哦太多生命中有什么可提供所有期货.我的祝福是军团--真正的和解与三个星期前,她母亲刚刚去世两周前,一个主调,使我国自主地发现自己整自己和其他的兴趣尤其女儿了解人类特别是妇女普遍得到一些牺牲者,从我和我所结交的经验和激励无疑伤害他们施加伤害.我有一个弥透视世界的"路"(道)的手段,在<老子>中列出的"大清德".我已编写出版了一倍左右,但现在这种未曾手稿的做法.不过写就进一步关心的事情是我们所有人.我觉得我必须了解我们所有期货主将更好.所以我必须学会说话,写中文和我开始做的一切,我惊讶的速度3.所以我也这么幸运得到一束魁首帮助孩子在中国发展.当我年纪便撼人经济和社会的力量,我已经可以看到他们的各种机会,并会在仁爱weild非审判方式酌情老子设想的最有效的社会领导.