180. The Tradition, Reagan and Obama

In Time Magazine, February 8, 2010, I have found this article titled "Learn from the Gipper: To Get back on track, Barack Obama should borrow from the playbook of Ronald Regan by Mark Halperin.

The author pointed out correctly, "Like Reagan, Obama has a respect for the broad sweep of American history." This is particularly true. Both presidents valued and inherited the good tradition of drawing nourishment from Chinese civilization started by the founding fathers of this great nation. Ronald Reagan in his 1988 State of the Union Address, quoted Laozi’s advice. In his speech on July 29, 2009 President Barack Obama cited Mencius, one of the main contributors to Confucianism.
I should add something here, otherwise, some might think that I am making a mountain out a molehill. What does it mean for us?

It tells us at least the following two things; first of all, Chinese Civilization, like West Civilization, as recorded human experience, belongs to the whole world. Secondly, to learn from Chinese civilization won't belittle a person who grows up in West Civilization, but enlarge him and glorify him. They haven't turned into Chinese yet. They remain Americans, however, they are not narrow-minded ones but the ones with wisdom of learning from others and the ones who have inherited the tradition of the founding fathers. In this point, we have enough reason to believe that the United States will continue to be a great power in the world and continue to be a lantern on the hill, showing a justified direction that other countries should follow. We know this from the presidents' respect for the tradition of the founding fathers.

179. American and Chinese Leaders on the Empress of China

President Barack Obama stated, "It was just a year after the end of our Revolution, when our nation was not much more than a set of ports and cities along the Atlantic, that an American ship named the Empress of China first sailed into Canton, looking to begin the first direct trade with China."

President Ronald Reagan pointed out, "Back in 1784, when the first American trading ship, the Empress of China, entered your waters, my country was unknown to you. We were a new republic eager to win a place in international commerce."

Chinese President Hu Jintao stated that "The Chinese people have always cherished goodwill towards the American people. In 1784, US merchant ship "Empress of China" sailed to China, opening the friendly exchanges between our two peoples."

I have found that this speech made by American Counsel-General in Mauca is interesting, therefore I present it to you below:

"Just a few months after the Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution in 1784, a three-masted, American sailing ship, newly named the Empress of China, with a crew of 34, set out from New York for Macau. The expedition was financed by a well-known American patriot, Robert Morris, a signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Morris's objective was to directly purchase Chinese tea, much in demand in our young nation. The Empress arrived at Macau in August 1784 with a cargo of 30 tons of wild New England ginseng root which it traded at Chinese ports for tea, cotton cloth, silk, tableware and spice. The venture was a success, and soon led to a flourishing trade after the Empress returned to New York in May 1785." You can enjoy the story how the ginseng root helped the opening of the relations between China and the Uniated States through my paper, Gingseng, the herb that Helped the United States to Enter International Commerce.

Finally, you could enjoy my paper, With China We Trade, and learn how George Washington promoted the Empress of China.

178. Why Does Dr. Wang Study the Founding Fathers and China

I started this blog on March 16, 2007. It is almost three years. I think that it is the time for me to answer the question, "Why do you study the topic, the founding fathers and China? "

The purpose of my study of the topic is not that I want to demonstrate that Chinese culture is superior to western culture. I don't believe that one civilization is superior to others. It may be true in certain period of time, such as China's strong dynasties and Europe during its age of the industrial revolution. I want to find out the reasons why the United States has developed into a superpower from the thirteen small colonies in such a short period of time in world history.

If we dig deep in our history we will find the significant role played by the founding father's great wisdom of drawing nourishment from Chinese civilization. I firmly believe that the tradition of drawing nourishment from other cultures, including Chinese culture, laid by the founding fathers with the wisdom and the foresight of learning from valuable recorded human experiences, contributed greatly to this. It is my purpose to study the topic. I maintain that the founding fathers wisdom still a valuable legacy which all peoples in the world today should carry down.

177. President Obama Cites Mencius

In his speech on July 29, 2009 President Barack Obama cited Mencius, one of the main contributors to Confucianism. Please enjoy the paragraph from his speech in the following;

"Thousands of years ago, the great philosopher Mencius said: "A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time." Our task is to forge a path to the future that we seek for our children -- to prevent mistrust or the inevitable differences of the moment from allowing that trail to be blocked by grass; to always be mindful of the journey that we are undertaking together."

176. Ronald Reagan and Laozi Philosophy

I have found that the presidents, from Richard Nixon, who normalized the relationship between China and the United States in 1972, to current President Barrack Obama, have paid attention to draw positive elements from traditional Chinese civilization. They quoted the Chinese sages in their speeches. For example,
his 1988 State of the Union Address, Ronald Reagan quoted Laozi’s advice. In the following please read the paragraph from his speech on January 25, 1988:

"And as an ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-tzu, said: 'Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish; do not overdo it.'Well, these ideas were part of a larger notion, a vision, if you will, of America herself--an America not only rich in opportunity for the individual but an America, too, of strong families and vibrant neighborhoods; an America whose divergent but harmonizing communities were a reflection of a deeper community of values: the value of work, of family, of religion, and of the love of freedom that God places in each of us and whose defense He has entrusted in a special way to this nation."

175. Early American Borderlands

It is my great pleasure to tell you that Dr. Wang is going to talk about the Influences from the East at the conference "Early American Borderlands," which will take place in St. Augustine, FL, 12-15 May 2010. In the following please find the main content of his speech.

During formative era of American culture, founding fathers of United States, including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, borrowed with the wisdom of learning from foreign cultures, positive elements from Chinese civilization. Franklin regarded Confucius moral philosophy as his guideline in his efforts to cultivate his virtue. Jefferson borrowed certain Chinese architectural designs, such as the railings below the dome and surrounding the walkways.

The virtual consensus among the founding generation of American statesmen was to "pursue a political destiny separate from Europe." Jefferson, who believed a building was not merely a walled structure, but a metaphor for American ideology, and the process of construction was equal to the task of building a nation, incorporated Chinese architectural style in his creation of a new style-Jeffersonian Style, which is still popular today. The founding fathers' endeavor attested the American desire to build a new culture.

174. Benjamin Franklin and Confucius Moral Philosophy

New Year has started. It is to my delight that I have found my study of the U.S. Founding Fathers and China is gaining momentum. I often receive emails from unknown people, asking how they can get my papers. Interestingly enough, my study of Benjamin Franklin and China has become so popular that a professor has used the phrase as his talking title somewhere.

However, I think that his talking should be titled differently, for I have found the content of his talk is about how Benjamin Franklin was treated in China. It sounds better, if called Benjamin Franklin in China. It seems that Benjamin Franklin and China has become a phrase as popular as the United States and China. It serves as an indicator that my study is getting more and more popular.

Today I browsed on the web and found the poster of my Rome Presentation. It is very funny that I couldn't find it when I posted my talk, Benjamin Franklin and Confucius Moral Philosophy. Here it is. You can enjoy it in Italian style. Thank the Italian National Center for American Studies at Rome, and several other professors from various Italian prestigious universities, who sponsored my talk there.