We have looked at plenty of disturbing content before in this class, but for some reason it was The Three-Body Problem that was the most upsetting to me. This is likely due to the futile situation that Ye Zhetai was presented with, and the fact that it seemed like he was doomed no matter what. Even the fact that he had a chance to renege on his ideology might not necessarily have saved him, as even being the children or grandchildren of former landlords or nationalists was enough to land a person in a reeducation camp or put them at other risk of harm.
It was also because Ye Zhetai’s crime was not being a nationalist, a reactionary, a member of the bourgeoise, or any other enemy of the CCP, but rather that he had taught Einstein’s theory of relativity in his physics class, which had been denounced by the CCP as reactionary. To have science that remains foundational to our study of physics today be denounced as false by a so-called secular nation was both ironic and frustrating. I am actually very interested in why Einstein was so reviled in China during the Cultural Revolution. His theories were considered “reactionary” by the CCP, but it may also have been because he had helped to build the atom bomb, a symbol of terrible destruction that was wrought by capitalist powers (this would also have been during the height of the Cold War).
The material for Friday was far more enjoyable, as I have always been fascinated by President Nixon’s visit to China. I feel like I realized, but didn’t realize just how ground-breaking such a visit was at the time. I am trying to think of an equivalent from my generation, but somehow, as odd as it is, President Trump’s visit to North Korea and meeting with Kim Jong-un still does not seem to be an analog. One of the things I would be interested to know is how Nixon is remembered in China. Is he one of those figures that when a Chinese person is asked about America, they name Nixon, sort of like how an American would name Mao or Xi Jinping if asked to name someone from China. Certainly Nixon is remembered in a far different way in China than he is in America, although I wonder if his opening of relations with China is not now looked at with some regret. Considering that none of the serious issues (like Taiwan) were actually resolved, Nixon’s visit only postponed conflict rather than alleviated it, so it is possible that he may not be viewed in the positive light in China one might expect.
Works Consulted:
Liu, Cixin. The Three-Body Problem. Translated by Ken Liu. New York: Tor, 2014.
“Nixon in China: The Week that Changed the World”. Richard Nixon Foundation, March 6, 2012. YouTube, https://youtu.be/Lnz7Ze71Pc0.
Richard Nixon: Speeches, Writings, Documents. Edited by Rick Perlstein. James Madison Library in American Politics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010.
Richard Nixon and Zhou Enlai, “Toasts at a Banquet Honoring the Premier“, February 25, 1972.
