(38) My visit to China
By Jay Kim
China is the country that is geographically the closest to Korea. For the last 4,000 years, these two countries have had spotty relations. The ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo ruled what are now China’s northeastern provinces. Words whose origins derived from traditional Chinese characters became part of Korean vocabulary through long cultural exchange.
Even today, China is Korea’s most important trading partner; for a country like Korea, where 87 percent of its economy depends on exports, it’s hard to find a trading partner as good as China. China’s population is over 30 times that of South Korea. China is a big market with low manufacturing costs ― and within a one-day travel zone.
I remember the first time I visited China as a House representative. I arrived at a building in Tiananmen Square to meet the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the legislative branch of China. Those accompanying him were all young and tall with solid frames, but the chairman himself was short and cut a poor figure of a countryman. His appearance did not seem so great because he was an activist who represented Chinese workers and farmers.
As we sat, the meeting room full of aides and reporters, vibrated with a bit of tension. After we discussed various topics, a question about Taiwan came up. The person asked why the U.S. supported Taiwan and its military even though Taiwan is a Chinese territory, which meant the U.S.’s support interfered with China’s domestic affairs. Even though I was fully prepared for this question, since I was briefed by the U.S. Embassy, I thought that it would be better to avoid this sensitive question since the purpose of my visit was to promote goodwill as the first Korean-American congressman. So I quickly changed the topic, asking them what the problem was, since the U.S. had already adopted a “one China” policy and regarded Taiwan as part of their territory anyway
Looking around, I found a scroll, where “天下太平” was written, hung on the wall. I told the others that I could read Chinese characters, and I translated the phrase into English. Everyone in the room, even the reporters, applauded. They told me it was the first time in Chinese history that a visiting U.S. congressman could read Chinese characters. They were curious about where I’d learned to read Chinese, and I told them that I learned them in my youth in Korea and exaggerated (to their great pleasure) that I had mastered the Thousand-Character Classic.
I told them that I had watched a TV drama series based on “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” from start to finish, and that it was my favorite hero story. They asked which hero was my favorite in the novel, and I asked for ink and a brush to write his name. I rolled up my sleeves and wrote “趙子龍,” and everyone stood and applauded, unable to hide their excitement.
However, they might have overestimated my skill in Chinese characters, arranging for me to visit a famous Chinese calligraphy museum the next morning. So a previous scheduled, interesting sightseeing tour was cancelled, and I went to the museum instead. The director of the museum guided me to his office, and as tea was served, I looked around the room, which was full of folding screens. The directors explained the screens to me for what seemed like an hour, and although I was bored, I pretended to listen enthusiastically. It took twice the time it normally would, since I looked at the director while he talked in Chinese and listened to the translator’s poor English.
The museum was a beautiful five-story stone building. I did not know that all the floors were filled with works of calligraphy, and by the third floor I was too bored to bear it any longer. I do not know much about calligraphy, and was not very interested in the subject. Just writing those three Chinese characters had made them mistakenly think of me as someone with a taste for calligraphy and made me come to this museum instead of go sightseeing. Finally, I came up with an excuse that I was not feeling well, and returned to the hotel. However, I remained deeply impressed by China’s long-standing culture.
I had received the interest of the Chinese just by writing “趙子龍” and become their friend. However, it nearly made me an enemy of the Taiwanese-Americans in my district. At the time, I did not know that Taiwan’s independence had become such a big issue there, and I did not consider that most Chinese-Americans in my district were from Taiwan. In the end, I lost the favor of my district’s Taiwanese-Americans, and they took the lead of the campaign against my re-election. The issue has remained highly contentious for 15 years, even after the overwhelming electoral victory of the pro-China side in Taiwan. There was even a case in San Francisco where a Taiwanese-American was shot to death over the issue.
My second trip to China was with then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich and about 20 congressional aides. When I met Jiang Zemin, my impression of him was that he was a natural leader full of charisma. At dinner that evening, a soup dish followed the salad. As we started to eat the soup, a few young female aides screamed suddenly. The soup was made with a baby chicken just hatched, stuffed with various spices mixed with rice in its belly, something never seen in the U.S. As they picked up the chicken with a chop stick, they found what looked like a newly hatched baby chick inside it, and this made them scream.
I picked up the chick in my soup with chopsticks, closed my eyes, and ate the chick whole. Unexpectedly, the taste was amazing. I was not too surprised by the odd nature of the dish, since I’d eaten various strange dishes in Hong Kong, but others around me seemed very surprised by what they were eating. The main dish looked like pork, but I urged the aides not to ask about the ingredients, since I had heard that asking what the dish was made with in detail is not polite. It reminded me of a piece of advice I’d heard ― never enter a Chinese restaurant through the kitchen. The dinner overall was very delicious, one that I would remember in a long time.
Jay Kim is a former U.S. congressman. He serves as chairman of the Washington Korean-American Forum. For more information visit Kim’s website at www.jayckim.com.