Years of Poems and Spirits

I went to a party tonight at a friend’s house. It is full of China Study students, half white, half 2nd generation Chinese. What surprised me was when I mentioned Da Shan’s name, it was like dropping water in boiling oil.

People are shaking their heads, sighing, etc. I was totally taken aback by how strongly they reacted. The hostess cried out, “Everybody from China loves him because this white guy can speak Chinese so well.”

I don’t know what to make of this. From their point of view, I guess I am just like another Chinese displaying his sino-centric badge. But I thought it was so natural: heck, Chinese is hard. Isn’t it?

Anyway, they may have a point in that sino-study is more than just the language. Still, knowing how exceptional he is at what he does, the “net achievement” still stands out. That, I am afraid, is too quickly lost in a burst of jealousy.