Preface

Our beloved Father contributed his early life to military service, and dedicated the rest of his life to government service until his retirement in 1981. He was an intelligent and hard working man who strove toward perfection.

Father always taught us to put forth all of our efforts in what we do in life. He said, “The more effort you put into what you’re doing, the more successful you will be.” During childhood, we had a strict family life. Now that we have grown up, we realize that it was because of him that we have succeeded in society today. All the riches in the world can never come close to repaying him for the time he put in raising us. Our debt to him can only be fulfilled by making him proud of us, or rather, what we are today because of him.

This year was to be our Father’s seventy-seventh birthday. In order to express our love and appreciation for all that we owe him, we helped him write this autobiography, which was dictated to us in his own words and completed in December, 1996.

In November of 1996, our Father was visiting Kao-Zon (John) in Raleigh, North Carolina, when suddenly he experienced high fever, shaking, and was sent immediately to the hospital. The doctor told us that there was a stone in his gallbladder, and that it must be removed through operation. This incident was a shock to us all and became the second operation in his life. Three days later the doctors diagnosed him with metastasized cancer. We were all expecting Father to fight and recover from the disease. However, after six months of diligent care from our family members in Taiwan, Mother, Li-Yun, and Kao-Fu, Father passed away on May 27, 1997. Kao-Zon,

Kao-Hwa, and Lea-Sha flew back to Taiwan and had a chance to say goodbye to him before his passing.

We are grieved to have lost Father, but we believe he is in heaven and that he will bless us forever.

From his children: Kao-Zon, Kao-Hwa, Li-Yun, Kao-Fu, and Lea-Sha On Father’s passing May 27, 1997.

Autobiography of Bu-Cheig Wei

As a very ordinary man, I have just been an army officer and then a civil servant. During the Anti-Japanese War, and the War against the civil bandits, I received three deep scars on my body after being wounded. Retiring from the Army, I returned to my home town. The Replacement of my brother as a soldier gave me a chance to settle in Taiwan. Thus a part of my clan was carried to the treasured island of my country. Personally I believe that he or she will enjoy a happy life if he or she has undergone hardship. I have been enjoying a happy life now due to the reason that I survived numerous hardships. The most fortunate thing in my life is that I married a very devoted wife, Deng Guilian, who not only raised and educated our five kids but also took on the responsibility of managing the entire household while I was working at Taiwan Sugar Company during those 34 years. The following is just my personal story, a special case of an ordinary person.

Chinese nations, in the past hundred years, have undergone numerous vicissitudes. China was invaded by the Western Powers and by the Japanese Imperialists. Every invasion war resulted in territorial cessation, war reparations, and other humiliations. At home, China underwent uncountable civil wars and tribulations. Famines and natural disasters deeply hurt the common people. Furthermore, the irresponsible politicians and their insidious greed added to the tragedies suffered by innocent civilians. During those decades, hardly any family was able to avoid the aforementioned adversities. And millions upon millions of Chinese became beggars everywhere. After the Second World War, China once again agonized over the pain of national division, with a separate Chinese government in Taiwan. Since then the two governments across the straits have been clashing every year. Amazingly, the history of my family is just the portraiture of modern China. My family suffered from the bandits’ robberies, natural disasters, civil wars, Japanese invasion, and the bitter separation between mainland China and the Taiwan Island.

My family, the “Wei” clan, is a very traditional and typical Chinese family. The family origin can be traced back as far as the Wei Kingdom, which was located in central China during the Zhou Dynasty. Afterwards, due to civil strifes, my family moved to Lianping, Guangdong Province. Therefore, this clan became of Hakka descent. As is well known in Asia, the characteristics of the Hakka include hard work, diligence, and sincere friendship. My clan specialized in agriculture for many centuries. Two hundred years ago, two brothers of mine moved to the inland Provinces. One brother was Wei Jin-huai and the other was Wei Jin-jun. Wei Jin-huai moved to Jiangxi Province and Wei Jin-jun moved to Hunan Province. My own forefather was Wei Jin-jun and thus, we became Hunanese. The forefathers settled in Lin County. From then on, the descendents of this branch became Huanese.

Beginning with Wei Jin-jun, our family began to abide by the special Twenty-word Order to name the male members from generation to generation. The naming is done in strict accordance with the doctrine of Confucianism. Those twenty words originated in the classic works of Confucianism, and emphasized training for filial devotion and cultural cultivation, but especially they stressed the importance of patriotic ideals. From that Twenty-word Order my ancestor hoped that his descendents would forever bear in mind those ideals: to love one’s country, to love one’s clan, to love one’s tradition, and to love one’s culture. And the most important ideal of all is to contribute to one’s nation. Those Twenty Chinese words are pronounced: [ Zhen Jin Xian Guo Shao, Zhu De Zong Gong Kao, Zhong Xiao Chuan Jia Shi, Wen Zhang Fu Sheng Chao].

Actually the Twenty-word Order is like a poem with special rhymes.

From the family name order, it is very easy to discern that nine generations have passed since my ancestor Wei Jin-jun settled in Hunan Province. My grandfather was Wei Deguang, my father was Wei Zong-da, I am Wei Gong-yi, and I was born on August 16, 1920. My eldest son is Wei Kao-Zon. These names were very strictly chosen according to the Twenty-word Order. This is Chinese tradition and perfectly reflects the Confucian ideology.

Numerous stories could be told about my family, especially about those events that occurred during that last two hundred years. The reason for this is that my family, like all Chinese families, has a history that closely parallels modern Chinese history. Our family encountered tragedies which exactly coincide with the national experiences of travail.

My father Wei Zong-da, and my mother Zhou Yu-lian lived in Yan-ling County, which formerly belonged to Ling County, in Hunan Province. They gave birth to five kids, four sons and one daughter. Among them, I am the youngest. The eldest brother is Pengcheng, the second brother is Gongshu, the third brother is Gongli, my sister is Afeng, and I was named Wei Gong-yi, my scholastic name being Wei Bucheng. My family lived by agricultural pursuits as their main way of making a living. However, our living standard was among the highest in that rural area. Landlord, as we were called, was our class category according to Communist classification. Honestly speaking, we were very well-to-do.

After the revolution of 1911, Yuan Shi-kai usurped national power from the rightful leaders of China. The consequence was that the warlords ruled over China. Each warlord controlled a specific area in the province that he occupied. The rule of the warlords and their struggle among themselves added to the national tragedy which arose from the invasion of China by foreign powers. Meanwhile, the bandits, like little warlords, throughout the nation, commenced their robbery activities everywhere and further hurt the common people. The bandits especially could be seen in the remote areas, often referred to as “the nobody controlled areas,” meaning the small towns far from the political and economic centers of the country. My family lived at the foot of the famous Jinggang Mountain, which is located at the border of Hunan Province and Jiangxi Province. Naturally my home town was a nest for those sinister bandits. It was for this reason that my family suffered, my parents were murdered, and my family could never restore their former strength and vitality.

In the year 1929, my second sister died from dystocia, which was a tragedy for my family. For this, the clan decided to mourn for seven days. During those days of mourning, the neighbors and villagers came to express their sympathy. Several special ceremonies were held. Many came to attend the ceremonies. Among those who came were the governor of the county and the governor of the township. It was said that several hundred attended the ceremonies. Unfortunately, one tragedy seemed to follow another. During one ceremony, the bandits emerged. They plundered, held hostages, and shot indiscriminately at people. People were suddenly running around in confusion. A few escaped. But my mother was not one of the lucky ones; sadly, she was shot in the right arm and the face. She immediately fell down. She died from the bandits’ shooting. Rumor has it that those same bandits were later recruited into the Red Army bu the Communist Party. However, there has been no confirmation. This supposition arose from the fact that the region in which my home town was located later became the birth place of the Communist Red Army. The bandits’ savage rampaging deprived my family of the cows and pigs we had raised and of the rice and food we had stored. Afterwards, we had to carry two coffins, one for my mother and another for my sister-in-law, for burial. The whole clan held the two special funerals together, which saddened everybody.

In 1930, the Nationalist Government fought against the rebellious Feng Yu-xiang and Yan Xi-shan in Central China. The people there suffered heavily from the war. Sadly, this year was another year of tragedy for my family. The bandits kidnapped my father and asked for money over and over again. Although we paid them several times, and every time several thousand dollars, they refused to free my father. Later on we learned that my father had died early in the course of captivity, due to the severe physical punishment inflicted by those depraved bandits. What distressed us the most was that we did not even know where to find my father’s body.

Also in 1930, the year in which my father was murdered, my third sister-in-law and my third brother-in-law were kidnapped by the bandits. Several extortionary payments were made, but the hostages were not released. My family even hired four workers to negotiate with the bandits. Sadly, one of the workers was brutally killed by the renegades. During those two years, from 1929 to 1930, at the same time my family had to mourn over murder and kidnappings, China experienced numerous calamities. The life of my family parallels the national experiences in China. The spirits of my father and mother will not rest while those heinous bandits are at liberty. May God punish those who inflict evil-doing on others.

In 1931, my elder brother Wei Peng-cheng (Wei Gong-liang) decided to move the whole family to the capitol city of the county in order to preclude further attacks from the bandits. Just around this time, the Communist Party incited the Peasant Association into launching a new Communist movement aroudn the Jinggan Mountain region. Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi were all influenced by the misguided Communist ideology. In order to escape the Communist land reform and the so-called class struggle, my family moved to Guidong to conduct business. Not until two years later did my father move his family back to their home town.

In 1934, the Nationalist Government launched a large scale counterattack on the Communist base and gradually recovered the land occupied by the Communist Party. The most beneficial event for my family in all this was that my third brother and his wife were released. Subsequently, the Jinggan Mountain region became peaceful. Due to the civil war that had occurred between the Communists and the Nationalists, the region’s agriculture was in ruins. The Communists, however, were defeated and had to undertake their well-publicized “Long March.” My brother’s private estate was restored, although it had become a desolate land. The family actually lived in the county’s capitol nearby; therefore, my three elder brothers walked everyday to the estate to cultivate the land. The really worked very diligently.

In the year 1935, when I was only 15 years old, upon invitation of my classmate Mr. Shi Jun, I enlisted in the Nationalist Army. As soon as I enlisted, I entered the military school and the 62^nd division. After a brief training period, I followed the army into combat against the Communists n Chaling, Changshan, Pingjiang, Liuyang, and Hubei, among other places. Several months later, I was selected to enter the Special Tech Unit to practice the national martial art of boxing.

In 1935, I followed the army to Jiangxi, where I was approved for the Jian Military Training School. I studied there for two years. Upon graduation I received a commission in the Ninth Division and relocated to Zhejiang. There I was recommended to study in the infantry class of the Army School located at Huguo Temple in Wenzhou city. After graduation I joined the 70^th Army.

In 1937, the Japanese launched a large scale invasion against China. Once again, the Chinese nation’s future was at stake. The Japanese invaders, relying on their superior weapons and advanced equipment, tried to conquer my nation and enslave its people, and I viewed them as alien bandits, not unlike the barbarous bandits that had ravaged my family some years earlier. The whole nation was outraged. As a soldier in the Nationalist Army, I was in high spirits and made a decision to die in the battlefields defending my motherland. I marched with the army to the Xiushui River, Jiangxi Province. Our aim was to block the way of the Japanese invaders. By that time the Japanese had already occupied the cities along the lower Yangtze River, including Nanjing, which was the capitol of China at that time. It was there that the Japanese slaughtered 300,000 Chinese in just one week. That was a great humiliation for our oldest of civilizations.

When Japanese invaders attacked Nanjing, my army and I stationed ourselves along the Xiushui River, Jiangxi Province. Knowing that the Japanese had attacked our capitol, we were very indignant. We hated those Japanese imperialists who committed heinous crimes on the soil of our Chinese nations. The soldiers including myself were all determined to sacrifice our lives for our country and give those Japanese invaders a heavy blow. The place we were stationed along was a very important geographic location. It was very close to the longest Chinese river, the Yangtze River, which was the most important water communication line at that time. The Yangtze River linked the whole province of Jiangxi and could reach Hubei, Jiangsu, and Anhui. After the Japs occupied Nanjing, they decided to conquer the whole of China Proper along the Yangtze River. The Northern Region of Jiangxi aling Xiushui River where we were stationed was a vital region. Both we and the Japanese knew clearly that this was the screen for Nanchang, the capitol of Jiangxi Province. If we lost, then the largest city in central China, Wuhan would be in danger. The Japanese imperialists were arrogant and wanted to appear in China Proper as an invincible army and then enslave our nation. We clearly knew that the anti-Japanese War would be a protracted one, since the capitol had been moved from Nanjing already. Our national liberation war, due to the modern weaponry possessed by the Japanese, would last for several years.

As the army of the Nationalist government, we did not want to see the invaders calling themselves invincible. Therefore, we decided to give the Japs a heavy blow. After occupying Nanjing, the Japs, like wild beasts, truculently tried to attack Jiangxi. In order to inflict a heavy blow on them, we decided to cast a net to catch the fish. At that time, the Japanese were dizzy with their victories so far and thought that they could win all over Jiangxi with their hands down. They marched into the Gao’an city and thought that they had won. After the Japs entered the net, we attacked the city and made the Japs appear like turtles in a jar. The Japanese had about 10,000 soldiers and we had less than 5,000. However, we had cast the net and the Japanese were in. Gao’an, surrounded by mountains, was an inferior military location if inside. We had already taken over the mountain tops. When the Japs entered the city, we launched the attack from the higher locations. And the battle became a battle of annihilation, ultimately leading to hand-to-hand combat. What made us feel excited was that the victory belonged to us. Soon the news spread that we had wiped out 7,000 Japs while our casualties were only several hundred. The battle of Gao’an smashed the Japanese dream to occupy Nanchang.

Unfortunately, in the Battle of Gao’an, I was seriously wounded. During the battle I charged along with the soldiers and wrestled with the Japanese. Suddenly I was hit by Japanese bullets in my left belly. I lost consciousness due to heavy blood loss. The stretcher team of the Nationalist Army escorted me and other wounded soldiers to Yichun, and then we were transferred to No. 116 Special Hospital in Hengyang for treatment. Several months later, after I had recovered, my commanding officer let me go back home to be a civilian.

Just one month after I got back home, the local government began recruiting soldiers for the front. Their regulations stipulated that one must be a soldier if one had three brothers, while two must become soldiers if one had five brothers. My elder brother had died several years earlier. So I had two brothers at home. Although I had just retired from the army, the local government officials asked one of my brothers to be a soldier. I thought deeply in those days. If either of my brothers went to the front, he would die for sure because he had no military training. Therefore, I decided to be soldier again. In this way my brother’s military duty was waived. Afterward, I went to the front and fought against the Japanese in Jiangxi and other regions.

Besides the skirmishes, I participated in the defensive battles at Changsha and Hengyang. According to the special instructions from General Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of our nation at the time, the army should burn down Changsha City if the Japanese approached. But he also emphasized that this was only a last resort, so no fire could be set until the Japs got close. Actually, with several Nationalist armies stationed in Hunan and Hubei, it would have been hard for the Japs to occupy Changsha. However, the army leaders made a mistake and burned the city before the coming of the Japanese. This created a lot of difficulty for the army. Then in the fierce fighting at Changsha and Hengyang, I was wounded again. The Japs’ bullets hit my left leg and left wrist.

I was treated at Xianggui Railway Hospital for four months. Then I returned to my army and killed Japanese invaders while participating in several other battles. I was in the army fighting against the Japanese imperialists until 1945 when the Japs declared unconditional surrender. In the later battles I was wounded three times. During the Eight Years Anti-Japanese War, I lived in a forest of guns, a rain of bullets, and swarms of planes, but I didn’t die. I survived thanks to God and thanks to the virtue and kindness my forefathers had preserved.

In September, 1945, the Japanese imperialists declared an unconditional surrender under waves of anti-Japanese fervor in China. Chinese people, during the eight years war, suffered inordinately: 30 million Chinese had been killed, untold numbers of houses and buildings lay in ruins. However, the high spirited Chinese people eventually defeated the beast, the Japanese invaders, and made the insufferably arrogant Japanese declare an unconditional surrender. Chinese people not only restored the land occupied by the Japanese on the mainland, but also restored the nearby territory of Taiwan and other islands. All people in China were celebrating this victory over Fascist Japan and everybody felt China had a new hope.

Unfortunately, this new hope was overshadowed by a struggle between two parties: the Nationalists and the Communists. As for myself, I was lucky to have not been directly involved in the political struggles on the mainland.

In August 1945 I was sent to Taiwan along with other soldiers to restore the sovereignty of the island after 50 years of Japanese rule. At that time I was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, since I had acquired military experience during World War II. In September 1945, we sailed from Ningpo, Zhejiang Province, through the East China Sea to Taiwan Island. During the restoration of the island, I was admired by the local government and local people and was referred to by them as a “young, handsome, and able military officer.” Upon introduction I engaged with and then married Deng Guilian, the daughter of the local gentleman Deng Zhao. In some sense our marriage was symbolized by the reunion of the Chinese people across the Taiwan Strait. In 1946, my first son Kao-Zon was born in this family.

I was very lucky to be exempted from fighting in the year 1947, when the Nationalist army and the Communist army fought in Xuzhou and a lot of soldiers from Taiwan were sent to the mainland to fight. Just around that time, I became sick with serious stomach trouble and was hospitalized in the Three Forces Hospital. In this way I was precluded from going to civil war. Otherwise I might have died or become a captive.

After the hospitalization, I asked for leave and was granted the opportunity to be a civilian again. This was a leave from the army for good. In August 1947, upon introduction from a friend, I was accepted through examination to work in the Taiwan Sugar Company. At that time the company was located at No. 109, Hankou Street, Taipei. My brothers in my hometown sent a letter and asked me to return to arrange something at home. In order to go back, I asked for leave, and was granted three months leave time. When I got home, all three brothers gathered happily together. My elder brother Gong-liang had died several years earlier, but he left a little boy whose name was Wei Kao-shing. And my second brother Gong-shu and my third brother Gong-li talked about the little boy. Everybody agreed that I’d better take Kao-shing to Taiwan. As the youngest uncle, I thought I had the responsibility to raise my elder brother’s son. So upon returning to Taiwan, I took Kao-shing along. Almost 50 years have passed. Kao-shing grew up in Taiwan and today he himself is a grandfather. He has two sons and two daughters. He is very contented with his family life.

From 1947 until retirement in 1980, I worked in Taiwan Sugar Company – for 34 years. During those 34 years I worked mainly in Taipei, except for 5 years in Changhwa from 1951 to 1956. My responsibility in the company was primarily to perform administrative duties, handle the welfare of the workers, the construction of dormitories, and also party service. During the 34 years, I experienced the economic recovery that occurred in Taiwan and witnessed the contribution of all Chinese on the island. All the workers in the company worked diligently and contributed silently. I myself was without exception. I was a work-a-holic, getting up around 7 o’clock and returning home around 12 midnight. I earned a straight A rating and was ranked as one of the best workers in the company. As is well known Taiwan’s economy was on the verge of bankruptcy due to Japanese exploitation during those years of colonial rule. Up to the end of the Second World War, Taiwan’s economy was in a deep depression, because of Japanese enslavement and exhortation. Immediately after liberation the main branch of Taiwan’s economy was dependent on agriculture. Its industrial branch was based chiefly on the production and exportation of sugar, which supported Taiwan’s economy, with factories throughout the island, especially in the south: 28 branch factories and 4 general factories. Taiwan Sugar Company, where I worked, was the most important unit of sugar production and exportation on the island. In the 1950’s the annual exportation of sugar from our factory was 800,000 tons. My company contributed much to the recovery of the economy on the island and earned millions of dollars in foreign currency. Taiwan Sugar Company was the number one generator of foreign currency during those years. I worked in the Taiwan Sugar Company for 34 years, all the while recognizing that the remarkable economic development taking place in Taiwan was the result of the tireless work of all Chinese people there. I was very grateful to be a participant in these events.

My wife and I had not had the opportunity to attain a higher education in our lives, although I had some military education; therefore, we emphasized the importance of education for our kids. We frequently told our five kids to study hard and respect our Chinese traditions. Most importantly, we emphasized being being a useful person in society and contributing as much as possible to the Chinese nation and meanwhile, bringing honor to our clan. I feel very gratified that all my five kids studied hard and were commendable students in school. Among the five, three went to the USA to pursue higher degrees and secured rewarding jobs there. Two are working in Taiwan and also have good jobs that provide career satisfaction. All five kids are married and enjoy happy family lives. The happiness of this big family, and of my children’s five small families, is what I had hoped for many years ago. I dreamed of such a situation after half a century of hardship.

I have lived a simple life and never wanted to enjoy any special kind of entertainment. I haven’t acquiesced to any serious addiction or proclivity, except for smoking. Some of the more notorious amusements, such as alcoholism, gambling, and similar activities, thankfully have not attracted me. I do like sports. Every morning I like to climb the hills for a walk. This year I am over 75 years old but still in good health, although occasionally I suffer from the dull pain of those scars left by the war with Japan. I have clear vision and a pair of receptive ears. Now every year I visit my relatives in Hunan Province and visit my three kids in the USA. As our ancestors nine generations ago always taught us, I instruct my kids: love our country, love our traditions, love our clan, and love our culture. Ever since 1989, when my father and mother’s tomb was established, I’ve returned to attend the filial rites for my parents every year. Although my kids in the USA tried to apply for a green card for me, I myself have limited interest. I feel that when I set foot on earth, I was a Chinese, I love the Chinese culture and its people, and one day will die a Chinese, always faithful to my country and its people.

My eldest son, Wei Kao-Zon, under the guidance of the family tradition, has been very achievement oriented. He once studied at Taipei in an engineering college, dreaming of becoming a scientist. He conducted experiments day and night. Unfortunately, a chemical explosion in his lab shattered his dreams. One eye was lost, one hand was seriously hurt, and two ear drums were penetrated. Thanks to Gods will, he survived. Later he married a very virtuous and helpful wife. After the explosion, Kao-zon had to change his major to mathematics. In 1978 he went to the USA to pursue graduate study at Penn State University. Upon graduation he secured a job with Carolina Power & Light Company in Raleigh, NC, USA, and his wife found a position with IBM. Additionally, Kao-zon has been very active in the local Chinese-American community. He served as founder for the Chinese Business Association in the Triangle Area of North Carolina, an area renowned for its scientific and technological accomplishments. In recent years he has played a very important role in the development of the Chinese-American community in the Triangle Area and has served as one of its leaders. Although he has retired from CP&L, he still contributes to the American economy by working in the NC State Government.

My second son, Wei Kao-hwa (Golden), graduated from the Aviation Department of Chiang Kai-shek Technological Institution. He served in Taiwan for a dozen years and then trained at The University of California and presently works for the McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company as a senior engineer. His wife is very devoted and has been manager for a realtor company. Their eldest daughter Nancy entered The University of California at Berkeley this year as a freshman. The second daughter Nanzhi will go to the university the year after next.

My eldest daughter, Wei Li-yun, has been working at Taiwan Electric Company for mor than 20 years. Their daughter Wang Ting is a student of Commercial Management.

My third son, Wei Kao-fu, graduated from Longhua Technology College in Taiwan and is now working at the Texas Instruments Company in Texas, USA.

The second daughter, Wei Lee-sha, graduated from Taiwan Jiaoda Electrical University. Then she studied at Penn State where she earned two MA’s. She is presently working in the Dow Jones Company, USA, as a software engineer. Her husband, Dr. Zhang Liangzhi, is currently a senior engineer at the Mobil Corporation. Their sons Zhang Heng and Zhang Jie are attending local elementary schools.

What delight my family brings to me! I genuinely feel that without the goodness my forefathers accumulated, I could not enjoy such a happy family. Very often I still advise my kids to work hard. In Taiwan they should try to be good Chinese citizens and in the USA, they should try to be good Chinese-American citizens and bring Chinese merits to American society for the benefit of American peoples.

Briefly reflecting on my family history, there have been griefstricken experiences and also there have been joyful events; there were stormy periods and also prosperous periods. Like so many Chinese families, my family’s history parallels the main developments of Chinese history in the past one hundred years. When the nation was weak, my family would suffer from calamities. When the nation was strong, my family would be thriving. Therefore, as an ordinary Chinese citizen, I have a clear-cut vision for the future of my nation: I don’t anticipate a war on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, because such a calamity would doom both my present home of Taiwan and my ancestors’ home of mainland China to the torment and wanton destruction inherent in war, and tens of thousands of families like mine on both sides of the conflict would agonize over a tragedy that benefits no one. I myself love Chine, I love Taiwan Island, and I love Hunan Province where I was born. I naturally hope with all my heart that a permanent peace can be achieved, that Chinese people will gradually resolve their current problems, and national unity will prevail with peace on both sides of the issue. Only in this way, without the needless destruction of military confrontation, can Chinese people everywhere stand up with vigor and pride to greet the Twenty-first Century: the century we all foresee as The Chinese Century.