416. On Time for the United States to Learn from China

In her blog, Asia Unbound,  Elizabeth Economy pointed out that the United States should learn from China. She said that, "The United States has spent over thirty years trying to “teach” China with, at best, mixed results. I think the time is well overdue for a turnabout in roles. We need to start learning from China." Interestingly enough, she called for the United States to learn from China in 2011.

From this blog and Dr. Dave Wang's published works, readers may have learned, the history that the United States learned from China is longer than the history of the United States. Famous colonists, including the founders of this nation, started to learn from China and adopted positive elements from Chinese civilization in the colonial period.

Clearly, the process of learning from China was started by the founding fathers who borrowed much wisdoms from China, including Confucianism in the founding era.

378. Chinese Porcelain Wares and American Nationalism

The colonists in North America wanted to diminish their reliance on taxed imports and ultimately their need for other goods controlled by England. Their pursuing self-supply of Chinese porcelain ware became a powerful call for the patriotic support of American economic independence. Some colonists started attempts to establish a porcelain manufactory company inPhiladelphia in 1769.

They established the factory on Prime Street “near the present day navy yard, intended to make china at a savings of 15,000 £. Benjamin Franklin, who was in London at the time, showed his happiness seeing the achievement made by his countrymen. He said, “I am pleased to find so good progress made in the China Manufactory. I wish it Success most heartily.”

The American China Manufactory became noted for the porcelain ware it produced. More importantly, it succeeded in cultivating patriotic support. It set in motion “an intense competition between the young American factory and its English contemporaries.” Although the porcelain factory lasted to 1772, it challenged Britain’s monopoly of the Chinese products and ultimately contributed to the winning of American independence. Benjamin Rush stated clearly, “There is but one expedient left whereby we can save our sinking country, and that is by encouraging American manufactures. Unless we do this, we shall be undone forever.”

373. The Enlightenment, the United States and China

The founders of the United States were intellectually men of the age of the Enlightenment. One of the most important features of the Enlightenment was that Chinese civilization, particularly Confucius moral philosophy, was highly regarded by main frontrunners of the Enlightenment. Confucius’ principle of that the people possess the power of overthrowing a governor who exploits people was accepted as one of the universal principles in human affairs. The direct influence of this principle is manifestly evident in the Declaration of Independence.

It shouldn’t be regarded as coincidence that he principal writer of it, Thomas Jefferson, was made out of the Enlightenment. Traditional nations have their own ethnic traditions. However, the founders of United States were reluctant to carry across the Atlantic the virtue of their old country. The founders believed the moral corruption in Europe should be excluded from the New Nation. Therefore, they were determined to create new virtue for the new nation. In their eyes, creation of new virtue was so important that its success or not would regulate the future of the direction of the nation they created.

If you want to know more about how Confucian moral philosophy made its mark on the founding of the United States,  I recommend you to read Dr. Dave Wang’s article, CONFUCIUS IN THE AMERICAN FOUNDING: THE FOUNDERS’ EFFORTS TO USE CONFUCIAN MORAL PHILOSOPHY IN THEIR ENDEAVOR TO CREATE NEW VIRTUE FOR THE NEW NATION, in Virginia Review of Asian Studies, Volume 16 (2014). In order to understand fully the United States history, the founders’ efforts to draw positive elements from Chinese civilization should be examined carefully. Their efforts shouldn’t be buried in the piles of historical documents that describe that the United States was formed mainly based on the English heritage and the Christian and Greco-Roman traditions. Today all the nations of the world are in one process of modernization. The founders’ way of dealing with other civilizations has provided a great model for all the nations in the world. The founders’ ideas that learn from other civilizations should be adopted by all mankind.

372. American Civilization, European Civilization and Chinese Civilization

It is well-known that "for much of their history, Americans defined their society in opposition to Europe." "America, it was argued, was a distinct civilization." George Washington had believed that “the new nation would develop a unique American character.” Thomas Jefferson alleged American civilization “was the part of a form of civilization higher than the polished societies of Europe.” US cultures have evolved and absorbed elements from other cultures in the historic process of the formation of American civilization. American civilization drew positive elements from other major civilizations of the world, including Chinese civilization.

In contemporary society, American political leaders have also clearly realized the influence of Chinese civilization on the development of American civilization. President Barack Obama made it clear that “Americans know the richness of China's history because it helped to shape the world and it helped to shape America. We know the talent of the Chinese people because they have helped to create this great country." (-Barack Obama in his remarks at U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue on July 27, 2009) Former President William Jefferson Bill Clinton pointed out that China as “a stronghold of creativity, knowledge and wealth” had an impact on American life long before the United States was even born. He told Americans that “From the printing China invented to the poetry it produced, from medicine and mathematics to the magnetic compass and humanistic philosophies, many of China’s earliest gifts still enrich our lives today.”

The founding fathers of the United States were among the main weavers of the fiber of American civilization. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had positive attitudes towards Chinese civilization and worked hard to borrow from it in their efforts to make a new and flourishing society in North America. For example, Benjamin Franklin studied and promoted Confucian Moral philosophy in his effort to cultivate his own virtue as well as to encourage Americans to do the same. George Washington personally supported the opening of trade with China. He also conducted an experiment to grow Chinese flowers in his garden. Thomas Jefferson incorporated Chinese architectural elements into his own buildings in Monticello.

362. The American Revolution: A Moral Revolution

The great founders’ collective esteem of Confucius during the formation of the United States has stimulated my curiosity to find why Confucius’ moral teachings became so important. The American Revolution was a political revolution which marked the birth of the United States as a new nation. However, it was also simultaneously a moral revolution.

While the founders were concerned with preserving their civil liberties and economic freedom through their stance, “no taxation without representation,” they were also concerned with public morality. They fully understood that the war was as much a battle against “the corruption of 18th century British high society” as it was against financial oppression. As a result, the founding fathers were determined to construct new virtues responding to the needs of the new nation. Having seen the results of the moral corruption in the old world, the founders worked diligently to use all valuable moral resources available for them to create virtues for the new nation.

358. Law, Moral, Confuicuis and Founding of the United States

As the main designers of the new nation, the founders knew that it took more than a perfect plan of government to preserve liberty. They needed some moral principles accepted by the people to encourage them to obey laws voluntarily. They recognized that a free government should be supported by people who could act morally without compulsion, and would not willfully violate the rights of others.

Benjamin Franklin firmly believed that "Laws without morals are in vain. (quid leges sine moribus vanae proficient)" Cultivating new virtues for the fledgling United States therefore became one of the most significant themes during this time of social and political transformation. With this notion in mind, the founders turned to Confucian moral philosophy.

340. Chinese Architectural Design in the Early United States

The Chinese influence on architecture remained conspicuous after the founding of the United States. In the 1790s a member of the American Philosophical Society, Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest (1739-1801)- built a home near Philadelphia known as China's Retreat. The building adopted a Chinese-style cupola on the roof. The windows, similar to screens in Chinese homes, were double leaves that slid into pockets in the walls. The buildings that used Chinese "touches" added “decorative embellishments to an otherwise Occidental plan and structure."

 Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz (1758-1841), a Polish visitor, wrote a vivid description of the house and its contents. The house was "immense, surmounted with a cupola and decorated with golden serpents in the Chinese manner. Six tabourets of porcelain were arranged in a circle in the peristyle." Thomas Jefferson showed interest in Chinese garden styles while designing a garden on his property. For Jefferson, gardening was "the complement to building, in the activity of a country gentleman." In his eyes, gardens were "peculiarly worth the attention of an American, because it is the country of all others where the noblest gardens may be made without expense." He used his free time to draw up plans for his garden, and finally decided to ornament his garden with a Chinese style.

331. A Lecture on Chinese Culture in North America in Japan

This is the brief report on my speech in one of Japan's main universities three years ago. The reason I post it again is that one of the main Asian study Journals in Japan the published my speech manuscript. I just find it on the web and list here for your reference.

You can find and print it from this link. 2010年6月19日（土）AJフォーラム19 "From Confucius to the Great Wall: Chinese Cultural Influence on Colonial North America"「孔子から長城まで：独立前の北米への中国文化の影響」を行いました。 日時：2010年6月19日(土）　15:00～17:00 講師：Dr. Dave Wang (クイーンズ図書館ホリス地区館長、セント・ジョーンズ大学非常勤講師、吉林師範大学客員教授) Date 19th, June, 2010 SAT 15:00～17:00 Lecturer Dr. Dave Wang (Manager, Queens Library at Hollis, Adjunct Professor, St. Johns University, Guest Professor, Jilin Normal University) 当日は教員、学生など約20名の方にご参加いただきました。 どうもありがとうございました。 Staff and students, about 20, had attended the forum. Thank you very much. 講演内容PDF

310. From History Education Council of Hawaii

I would like to quote the following statement from Mr. Jeffrey Bingham Mead, the President of History Education Council of Hawaii State, “We'd like to call to your attention the pioneering research and writings of History Education Hawaii director, Dr. Dave Wang. His research has opened fresh eyes to something long neglected in the founding of the United States of America: the influence of Chinese civilization on the American Founders.

From one of his blogs dated June 28, 2012: “It seems a historical irony that China, the ancient and far away empire, also had an impact on the founding of the United States. Military support from France was one of the key factors in the colonists’ victory in the American Revolutionary War. One reason the French royal court fought the British in North America was to prevent a British from monopoly of trade with China.” We invite you to visit his blog site The U. S .Founders and China today and everyday.

308. Dr. Dave Wang's Readers all Over the World

This blog, US Founders and China, that introduces Dr. Dave Wang's research in the field of Chinese cultural influence on the early history of the United States, has attracted readers all over the world. We often find readers from a country people rarely heard of. However, most of the readers are from North America, including the United States and Canada, all countries in Europe and Asia, such as China, Japan South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and others. We also find readers from courtiers in Africa and Latin America.

In the following you will find the top ten countries that main readers are from. You can also find the percentage of readers from a specific country.

01. United States (54.7%),
02. Germany (10.1%),
03. Poland (6.8%),
04. Russia (4.6%),
05. France (3.1%),
06. United Kingdom (2.0%),
07. Netherlands (1.5%),
08. China (1.2%),
09. Ukraine (1.1%)
10. Italy(1%).
All other countries account for (15%).

307. The Ten Most Popular Posts in this Weblog

A reader of this weblog may wonder which posts attract more readers. In the following, I will show the ten most popular posts. However, I should point out that the result are accurate as of June 2013. The results could be vary with this weblog becomes more and more popular and attracts readers around the world. In the following, please find the top ten items that readers have read

01. 297. Ginseng, Tea and the American Revolution, Feb 7, 2013, 49 comments
02. 299. Benjamin Franklin and Ginseng, Feb 24, 2013, 50 comments
03. 215. Chinese Influence on American Culture, Mar 29, 2011, 12 comments
04. 100. George Washington and the Empress of China, Oct 22, 2008, 32 comments
05. 209. Benjamin Franklin and China Gets Momentum, Feb 19, 2011, 20 comments
06. 292, Rufus King on China’s Trade Theory, Jan 14, 2013, 29 comments
07. 241. Why Americans Don't Seek Aristocratic Titles, Oct 30, 2011, 15 comments
08. 224. The First Five Presidents and China, May 20, 2011, 1 comment
09. 222. Did the Founders Believe U.S.Will Decline?, May 7, 2011
10. 210. Restore Washington's Chinese Flower Garden, Feb 21, 2011, 7 comments

302. What differentiates Chinese from Americans?

The culture gap across the Pacific Here is summary of my observations on the differences between Americans (USA) and Chinese. There are of course major trends in the two peoples.

Feeling of time:  Perception is shaped by history and present. A 100 year old house or church is considered old by Americans. For a Chinese, ancient refers to the history before Qin Dynast BC 221, when the first emperor unified China. For Americans,  200 years was ‘ancient.”

Cars:  Most of Chinese have are with manual gears, while most Americans like automatic ones.

Measure System:  Chinese use the metric system (meters, grams) Americans use the old English imperial system (yards, mile, pounds, Fahrenheit, etc)

Date and time system: Chinese write the date in the format, Year, Month, Day., whereas Americans use “Month, Day, Year.

Public Holidays: May 1 is Labor Day for Chinese, whereas American Labor Day is first Monday of September.

Names: Chinese given names are after their family names, whereas Americans are the opposite. Their family names are after their give names.

Food:  Chinese eat more varied and balanced meals and less fast food than American. Chinese probably drink more alcohol and American drink more wine. Americans eat more cheese and yogurt. Americans drink more coffees and Chinese more teas.

284. Ronald Regan and Lao-tzu

President Ronald Reagan loved Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu’s governing philosophy. He used the philosophy to convince the law makers to support the Republican free market notion. In 1988, in front of the Joint Session of Congress on the State of the Union, Reagan told the law makers that the ancient Chinese philosopher,

Lao-tzu, had pointed out that over-governing was not good governing. He then quoted Lao-tzu, "Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish; do not overdo it." Lao Tzu’s succinct language helped Reagan to win the support from the law makers.

279. Chinese Tea and American Revolution

One of the most obvious direct economical and political influences of the Chinese culture upon social development in North America was the tea from China that helped trigger the American Revolution. On December 17, 1773, a week away from Christmas Eve, some colonial patriots, disguised as Indians, secretly entered Boston Harbor under the cover of night. They boarded three British ships in the harbor and dumped some 350 chests of Chinese tea into the water. Their action was a protestation of taxation without representation and the monopoly granted the East India Company (among other complaints against the British regime).

The importance of tea had developed into such a degree that it impacted the historical course of the world. Tea had become a basic element in North American colonial society so that in the 18th century, drinking tea in the morning at home and socially in the afternoon or early evening became an "established custom". A contemporary estimated that one third of the population drank tea twice a day. Some visitors left us vivid records about tea drinking in Pennsylvania and New York. “The favorite drink, especially after dinner, is tea.”

A Swedish traveler found that there was “hardly a farmer’s wife or a poor woman, who does not drink tea in the morning.” In Philadelphia the women would rather go without their dinners than without “a dish of tea.” The tea ceremony, with tea drinking, became the core of family life.

278. Ginseng, Tea and American Revolution

The Ginseng drive also helped popularize the tea drinking from upper class to the rest of the society. Tea drinking in the colonies had been very popular before the huge amount of teas shipped directly by the citizens of the United States. The British carried the habit from England to North America, and the colonists quickly adopted their tastes for tea. Tea houses following London models became powerful social catalysts, providing an excellent forum for the exchange of ideas and the distribution of news.

Indeed, the taxes that the British imposed on the colonists’ tea spurred their demands for independence in the American Revolution. However, before 1784, tea was mainly a luxury reserved for affluent colonists due to its high price. However, large amounts of tea carried over oceans from China to North America by the Empress of China and other American ships after 1784 popularized the drink by making more affordable to ordinary Americans.

275. American Civilization and Chinese Civilization

It is well-known that "for much of their history, Americans defined their society in opposition to Europe." American civilization, it was argued, was a distinct civilization.” George Washington had believed that “the new nation would develop a unique American character.” Thomas Jefferson alleged that American civilization “was the part of a form of civilization higher than the polished societies of Europe. “US cultures have evolved and absorbed elements from other cultures in the historic process of the formation of American civilization.

American civilization drew positive elements from other major civilizations of the world, including Chinese civilization. In contemporary society, American political leaders have also clearly realized the influence of Chinese civilization on the development of American civilization. Bill Clinton pointed out that China as “a stronghold of creativity, knowledge and wealth” had an impact on American life long before the United States was even born. He told Americans that “From the printing China invented to the poetry it produced, from medicine and mathematics to the magnetic compass and humanistic philosophies, many of China’s earliest gifts still enrich our lives today.”

273. A Way to Cultivate Patriotism

The Americans wanted to diminish their reliance on taxed imports and ultimately their need for other goods controlled by England. Their pursuing self supply of Chinese porcelain ware became a powerful call for the patriotic support of American economical independence. Some colonists started attempts to establish a porcelain manufactory company in Philadelphia in 1769. They established the factory on Prime Street near the present day navy yard, intended to make china at a savings of 15,000 £. Benjamin Franklin, who was in London at the time, showed his happiness seeing the achievement made by his countrymen.

Franklin said, “I am pleased to find so good progress made in the China Manufactory. I wish it Success most heartily.” The American China Manufactory became noted for the porcelain ware it produced. More importantly, it succeeded in cultivating patriotic support. It set in motion “an intense competition between the young American factory and its English contemporaries.” Although the porcelain factory lasted to 1772, it challenged Britain’s monopoly of the Chinese products and ultimately contributed to the winning of American independence. Benjamin Rush stated clearly, “There is but one expedient left whereby we can save our sinking country, and that is by encouraging American manufactures. Unless we do this, we shall be undone forever.”

263. Chinese Wisdom and American Victories

Former President Bill Clinton has tirelessly and earnestly exhorted Americans that “success in the twenty‐first century world requires Americans to be curious enough to learn from other countries.” Clinton’s admonition is of particular significance now that the United States is once again facing tremendous, unprecedented challenges both domestically and abroad. It has been a great tradition of the United States to learn from other countries.

Readers will learn how political and military leaders, including the founding fathers of the United States, have used Chinese wisdoms to overcome obstacles on their roads to victories. In fact, some eminent leaders of the North American colonies paid attention to Chinese culture long before this country was founded. Traditional Chinese civilization has served as a priceless treasure from which the American leaders constantly draw wisdom. Numerous American political leaders, from the US founders to contemporary presidents, have sought enlightenment from traditional Chinese culture.


This is the opening paragraph of Dr. Dave Wang’s paper, Chinese Wisdom and American Victories, in Huaren E-Magazine, January 2012.

261. China's Needs of American Ginseng and Its Infulence on American Social Development

Much has been written about American Ginseng’s contributionsto United States’ effort to open direct trade with China, but its impact on the social development has been neglected. It should be noted that American Ginseng had helped change American society in the early period of the republic. For example, the Westward expansion was promoted by the pioneers who looked for exploitable natural resources and new commercial opportunities. Driven by the need of gathering enough Ginseng worthy for the journey of long distance to China, Ginseng diggers and traders were soon found in the Appalachian Mountains and other areas where Ginseng was readily available. After gathering them together, the merchants would transport the herbs from the interiors of Pennsylvania and Virginia to Philadelphia, New York, or Boston. “This proved to be an important educational influence, since it was almost the only way in which the pioneer learned what was going on in the East.” As a result, the huge masses of Ginseng diggers, traders, and transporters changed the society. “Mobility of population is death to localism, and the westernfrontier worked irresistibly in unsettling population. The effect reached back from the frontier and affected profoundly the Atlantic coast and even the Old World.

260. The Earliest Contact Between Chinese Culture and North America

   The connection between China and North America can be traced the inception of the American colonies in May of 1609. British colonists, sent by the Virginia Company landed on the north bank of a river they named James Fort (later to be renamed Jamestown), for they believed the river’s headwaters to be “the shortcut to China.” The choosing of Jamestown as the landing spot was not a chance decision, but was made in accordance with instruction given by the Virginia Company. Even the “decisive and stern leadership” of John Smith (1580-1631) was not given “the authority to override” the instruction from the Company, which believed that the James River could lead the colonists to “a shortcut to China.”