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Since China was defeated by Britain in the 1840s, the far-sighted Chinese intellectuals and officials of the Manchu Court knew that they must learn the modern knowledge from the West. An enormous volume of the Western books in various fields were translated since late 19th century. In order to get first-hand knowledge, they started to send and help youngsters to study in the Western countries, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom. The Westerners already in China were eager to teach and they built missionary schools in Chinese cities and even in remote areas. subway runner Some of the best of Western ideas in political science, philosophy, literature, etc, had become part of China's "New Learning", and then part of the mental makeup of the educated.

Mao once groused about this "worst crime" Americans had committed against China. He had crushed Chiang Kaishek, backed up by American dollars and weapons, but he failed to wipe out the American influence that had put down roots in a person's mind. He had launched numerous purges to remold people's mind, but he could not even succeed with his comrades in his innermost circle.

Mao's first violent purge - Futian Incident - was launched in 1931. His targets were Zhou Enlai (later prime minister, 1949-1976), French-trained, Zhu De (Founder of the Red Army), German-trained, and Chen Yi (later foreign minister, 1958-1971), also French-trained. This was not accidental. They were more open to Western social and political ideas which Mao, a peasant with the feudal mentality of the countryside, was deeply suspicious of. Mao tried persistently to get rid of Zhou Enlai. His last attempt was made in the most violent purge, the Cultural Revolution, 1966-1976.

When I first came to this country in 1972, I was surprised that the Americans described the Cultural Revolution as a mere power struggle among the Party leaders. Undoubtedly it was a power struggle, but it was also a struggle among different personalities, as well as a clash among dissimilar and sometimes even opposing political viewpoints. One result was: Zhou, who had been inclined to advocate for what we now call China's open door policy to the West, won the first round. Zhou's open-mindedness culminated in the Shanghai Communique of 1972, jointly signed by Zhou and President Richard Nixon. After that, Mao plotted to renege it, but Zhou outmaneuvered him.

Before his death in 1976, Zhou went over Mao's head and handed the premiership to Deng Xiaoping, also French-trained. These two had printed revolutionary leaflets in a Parisian attic together. The rehabilitation of Deng enraged Mao. The Red Guards, Mao's hit men, called Deng a traitor, because he once had said that the place he would like most to retire to was Paris. It should be no surprise to anyone that Deng continued the open door policy and finally reversed Mao's close-door policy.

Mao was never able to shut off the outside world. Now with the number of Chinese students studying and learning in the West exceeds the number of all previous times combined, it is impossible for any politician to turn back the clock.