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跨越太平洋的“宿缘”——张少书先生访谈录
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地点:张少书办公室,斯坦福大学历史系

时间:2017年12月6日

邹浩:张教授,谢谢您抽出宝贵的时间,并接受我代表《文化发展论丛》对您的采访。《文化发展论丛》是由社会科学文献出版社出版的一本专注于文化研究的中国学术集刊。集刊的编辑同仁很高兴能有这样一个机会将您和您的学术研究介绍给中国读者。您的教学和研究集中在对中美关系史和亚裔美国人政治与文化的历史研究。中国读者对您的著作《朋友还是敌人:1948—1972年的美国、中国和苏联》2392859已经很了解,咱们就从您的艺术史研究谈起吧。与文学和史学研究的其他领域相比,可以认为艺术史在亚裔美国人史学研究中一直处于边缘地位。您的《亚裔美国人艺术:一段历史,1850—1970年》2392860一书是这个领域的开山之作。我猜想您在这个领域的研究冲动与您的父亲有关。您的父亲是20世纪上半期中国最杰出的画家之一。您能谈谈他对您在艺术史方面研究的影响吗?

张少书:我的父亲叫张书旂2392861,出生于杭州地区。父亲是20世纪初期一位非常有成就的艺术家,无论在艺术家、收藏家还是知识分子中,都颇有名气。他在1941年创作了一幅巨型中国画,由中国政府赠予罗斯福,祝贺他第三次当选美国总统。2392862随后,父亲被中国政府任命为文化大使,来到美国。他是一位画家、一位知识分子,同时也十分关心中美关系并积极参与文化外交。我是一位历史学家,也对艺术有兴趣,自然地,我会将父亲、艺术和历史研究联系到一起,希望从中展现出艺术与政治史和外交史之间的内在关系。应该说这是父亲对我的影响。

邹浩:您小时候有机会接触到您父亲的艺术作品吗?

张少书:当然。但不幸的是,父亲在我九岁的时候去世了。他是1942年从中国来到美国的,在这里生活到1946年,后来返回中国,又于1949年再次来美国,一直到1957年在美国去世。他在美国生活的时间不短,虽然他去世时我年纪还小,然而他的影响却无处不在,这包括他的艺术作品、他的书和他的历史。

邹浩:您认为艺术史研究对亚裔美国人历史研究有怎样的价值?

张少书:我一直很失望的是,研究亚裔美国人历史的学者对他们的艺术史并不十分关注。艺术是亚裔美国人生活的一个重要部分,无论是在社会、文化、思想等各个方面,还是在他们对美国的贡献方面。亚裔美国人艺术史没有得到应有的关注的原因,或许是这个领域的学者缺乏足够的艺术兴趣与知识,也或许是他们更关注历史研究的其他领域,比如政治史或劳工史。我觉得应该做一些这方面的研究,以展现艺术作为亚裔美国人生活的一个重要层面。另外一个原因与亚洲人对于艺术的态度有关。美国人往往将艺术从生活中分离开来,而在亚洲社会中,艺术、政治甚至经济,都与生活有更紧密的关系。比如,中国的艺术家既是知识分子,又是重要的社会人士,而不仅仅是艺术家。

邹浩:您先后编辑过两本关于两位著名日裔美国历史学家的书。2392863这两本书对您个人和亚裔美国人史学研究都有深刻的影响。作为一位历史学家和一位亚裔美国人,您与市桥倭(Yamato Ichihashi)2392864和市冈裕次(Yuji Ichioka)2392865的背景有相似之处。杰出的斯坦福大学教授市桥倭在二战期间的苦难经历令人扼腕,他和妻子在日裔美国人集中营里度过了艰难的三年。您写了《“我们几乎哭了”》一文纪念市桥倭和妻子的这段战争时期的经历。您写到市桥教授和妻子在结束集中营生活,回到斯坦福家中的时候,当看到荒芜的院子,他们几乎哭了。这段场景对您作为一位亚裔美国历史学家的影响是怎样的?

张少书:有趣的是,市桥当年的办公室正好在咱们现在坐的这个角落。可能后来有所翻修,我想应该就在这个地方。我完全不赞同市桥的政治取向,他是为日本的帝国主义辩护的。他以自己是日本上流社会的一员而自豪,他也相信日本在20世纪30年代的行为是在推动亚洲国家的现代化进程。我根本反对这种观点。但是,当读到他在二战期间的人生经历和所遭受的苦难,我想这完全不是他应该得到的待遇。虽然在时间、政治和种族等各方面,他和我都相隔甚远,但我对他所经历的苦难却感同身受,他的这段痛苦经历深深地打动了我。我想任何人读到这段历史都会被打动。

邹浩:这段经历对市桥倭的打击显然是巨大的,以致他回到斯坦福大学以后再也没有发表过任何学术成果。

张少书:他心理上崩溃了。他本来是希望在集中营里专心写作的,斯坦福大学运去了很多书给他。在离开斯坦福去集中营之前,他完全明白他将要经历的是历史性的,于是他有意识地开始写日记,力图详细地记录下这段历史。他是受害者,同时也是目击者。他在自己经历这段悲惨经历的同时,也近距离地目睹了这段历史。这样的双重身份让他在精神上和生活上都无法承受,不仅他的学术生涯就此终止,他的家庭也遭受了极大的不幸。

邹浩:作为亚裔美国人,您在求学和教书的时候,是不是会面临额外的压力,或是被更多地激励,要让自己比同学和同事们做得更好?

张少书:是的,这是一个我感受很深的地方。记得20世纪60年代中期读高中的时候,我是班上唯一的华裔学生。我感受到来自外界的压力,要学好,要出众。那时一个流行的成见(一种正面的赞扬),就是华裔学生的学习成绩都很好,所以我也要不辜负这种赞扬。同时,我也觉得不仅要在别人眼中做得好,还更要有自我尊重。这种想法是从我母亲那里得来的。

邹浩:在您的新书《宿缘:美国关注中国的历史》2392866中,您阐明美国历来对中国的关注是一种宿命。这种对中国关注的宿命意识已经成为美国自我身份认同的一个中心成分。2392867然而,历史不是天意。我们应该如何理解美国对中国关注的这种宿命意识?

张少书:我在书中表达的观点是,由于多种原因,在整个中美历史中,美国人对中国始终表现出一种特殊的兴趣,而这种兴趣不止于商业,并由此认为中国对于美国来说非常重要,它甚至关系到美国的未来。虽然这种关联或影响可能是正面的,也可能是负面的,但其程度和一贯性是任何别的国家都不能比的,包括俄罗斯、印度、日本,甚至德国和英国等很多美国人先辈的祖国。当美国人思考美国未来的时候,他们总是想到中国,要么认为它提供了过多的劳工,对美国人不利,或认为它是一个强劲的竞争对手,很担忧。而现在,中国是一个巨大的市场,充满了商业和投资机会。这正是为什么我说美国人认为中国与美国的未来紧密相关,并对国家的发展进程起到一种特殊的作用。

邹浩:这种宿命意识与来源于美国早期的、已经根植于美国人头脑中的那种“美国例外主义”2392868的思想有关吗?

张少书:是的,我认为两者很相关。美国传统上就有一种叫“宿命”的说法,它产生于19世纪,指的是美国的未来基于国家在整个北美大陆上的扩充和延展。美国的特殊性和例外就在于将自己的影响力扩展到整个北美大陆,并进而推向全世界。这种在地理上不断扩展的思想是美国人的一种独特想法,这个想法当然也意味着与太平洋另一边的中国建立某种联系。

邹浩:书中描述了一种美国对于中国的不间断的关注。从中,您看到在两国关系长河中的这种连续性。然而,历来美国对中国的态度就总是在敬仰和害怕之间徘徊,尤其这种害怕心态曾极端表现为19世纪的“黄祸”叙述,以及中华人民共和国成立最初近30年的紧张关系。为了理解这种对立的态度,您将它们比喻为“镜中影像的两面”。我们应该如何理解这个比喻?

张少书:其实中国对美国也特殊看待。许多中国人认为美国很特别,有独到的地方,对于中国的未来很重要。从这个角度来看,中美两国的关系就好比镜中影像的两面。如果从美国本身来看,这种镜中影像的两面所代表的是:美国对于中国一方面害怕,另一方面又充满兴趣,而美国人所最害怕的,又正是最吸引他们的东西。比如,他们害怕中国巨大的人口规模,中国人口的数量可能会带来劳动力的竞争,但这巨大的人口规模又同时为美国人提供了一个潜力无穷的商品市场。

邹浩:由于当今两国间日益增强的各种联系,人们似乎对这种历史上反复出现的对立态度是否在将来还会出现表现得非常乐观。您在书中的分析非常谨慎,对两国未来关系的走向不做宏观的预测。但是基于您所观察到的中美关系的历史连续性,您认为这种新的变化会对两国关系的未来提供洞察力或是某种警示吗?

张少书:我很小心,没有在书中做任何预测。我怎么可能料到特朗普会成为美国总统。看看他当政不到一年来对中国的态度所发生的变化,时起时伏,时前时后,有时充满敌意,有时又极力讨好。他是一个难以预测的机会主义者。这说明他和美国当权者不清楚应该如何与中国相处。中国到底是朋友和伙伴,还是对立者?他们无法判断中国到底属于哪一边,所以时常在两边摇摆。一方面,美国想和中国成为朋友,力图和中国建立伙伴关系,尤其在商业领域,以及国家安全领域,虽然它近年来也一直批评中国在商业方面的很多行为;另一方面,美国非常害怕中国的体量,中国的体量吸引美国,也同样令美国人担忧。我想,让美国人最挠头的事情就是美国没办法强迫中国做任何事情。中国就是中国,它的体量和实力那么强大,任何来自外部的力量都很难影响中国发展的方向。即使回到20世纪,当中国还没有今天这么强大的时候,中国也是只做它想做的事情。另外,中国有很悠久的传统、自己的生活和行为方式,它的人际社会关系也与西方很不同。所以,美国对中国的看法和态度总在变化,会继续摇摆。

邹浩:您书中的分析显示出文化分析在帮助理解中美关系和外交问题中的价值。或许是受到历史学研究中“文化转向”的影响,《朋友还是敌人》和《亚裔美国人艺术》两本书也都是从精英和权力者的角度来研究。近几十年人文学科研究中出现的这种“文化转向”促使历史学研究从对可触摸到的社会经济因素的分析,转向对文化的探讨。受到后结构主义思想(比如福柯)的影响,这种新的研究方法多采用话语分析,探寻常用的社会分类(比如性别、种族、阶级)的建构过程,而不是分类本身,以及重视对精英和权力阶层的分析。在这样的影响之下,您认为美国移民和亚裔历史研究的走向将是什么样的?

张少书:我想我所做的研究是关注意识形态背后的思想。我以前对外交有更多兴趣,但我认为外交是由人来完成的,而这些人有他们自己的思想、偏见和预设。这些观念和预设是非常值得研究的。任何政策思路都不是凭空产生的,它来自政策制定者和执行者的观念,以及更广泛的大家所共有的一些思想。这正是与种族问题和人类文明的思想相关联的地方,也是与移民史和种族研究相关联的地方。我认为当下是个微妙的时刻。谁知道特朗普会出什么事?没准在这个任期结束前就下台了。然而,他的思想却有很强的影响力。他激活了美国社会中的一股极右势力,这种势力是反移民的,主要针对拉丁裔,当然也针对亚裔。我想美国的未来会有麻烦。

邹浩:您在书中简要描述了您的家族史。这段在美国的家族史毫无疑问也深深受到您书中研究的这段美国关注中国的历史的影响。从这个角度来看,这本书也是您对自我身份的一个探寻。您从20世纪70年代开始多次访问中国,您能否与我们分享一些您对中国的观察,它们对您的自我身份的探寻有何影响?

张少书:我在美国出生、长大,一直生活在这里,我是一个土生土长的美国人。然而,由于家庭背景,我从我的父母那里继承了很强的华裔身份认同感。你是对的,这本书在一定程度上有自传的性质,折射了我的生命轨迹。中国是我感兴趣的研究课题,我对中国一直充满了好奇,为之惊叹。我本科读中国历史,研究生读现代中国史。中国无论是对我的个人生活,还是学术研究,都很重要。我去过中国很多次,应该说了解或见证过当代中国历史的一些起起伏伏,比如中国革命、“文化大革命”以及邓小平时代。我想说,很多美国人对中国政治的大起大落十分困惑。中国确实令人很难理解,但我始终认为中国的变迁是一个过程,在这个过程中,这个国家在向前发展。这段历史有很多很多苦难和悲剧,但最近40年的发展却让人震惊。

邹浩:您观察到哪些有趣的中国社会的变迁和人的变化(或是停滞不变的东西),尤其是中国对美国态度的发展和变化吗?

张少书:我观察到的东西,有正面的,也有负面的。一些中国人很反美,而另一些中国人很崇尚美国。中国现在有大量的财富,许多中国人来美国交流、投资、旅游、读书。我观察到一些他们的态度和行为,让我很难过的一个地方是,他们中的一些人非常物质化,思想狭隘,甚至极端自私自利,这很不幸。但同时也有一些充满理想的人,他们所思考和所做的完全超越了自己和家人。从毛泽东时代的大公无私、自我牺牲,到现如今的自私自利、一切“向钱看”,从整个社会来看,这种大的起伏是个问题。

邹浩:您目前正在主导斯坦福大学一个大型的跨学科研究项目:北美铁路华工研究工程。2392869与对权力阶层和精英的研究相反,这个项目关注的对象是劳工。这项研究的主要目的是什么?它所面临的最大的障碍是什么?

张少书:这个研究项目将我个人的两个兴趣结合在一起,就是关于我的中国祖辈和他们在美国的生活经历。在美国史中,铁路华工是美国华裔社群中一个非常重要的部分,而他们又与中国史紧密相关。我对研究这段19世纪和20世纪的历史很有兴趣,它跨越了美国史和中国史。研究所面临的最大困难在于铁路华工没有留下任何他们自己的文字记录,所以我们很难了解他们最真实的感受、行为以及他们所做过的事和没做过的事。在过去的五年里,来自中、美和其他国家的许多学者尝试了很多方法和途径,在这方面却没有任何进展。刚开始我还满怀希望,但现在我开始怀疑我们是否能够找到任何来自铁路华工本人的文字记录。如果真是那样的话,我们只能尽力去猜测了。

邹浩:铁路华工为美国西部开发的贡献巨大,但在历史的叙述中却极其沉默。为了让后人听到他们真实的声音,您认为对这群早期华人移民的家乡——广东的社会和文化背景的了解和研究有什么重要性?

张少书:非常重要。我认为中国南方研究是中国历史研究的一个重要部分,2392870但是它没有得到足够的重视和肯定,原因在于现代中国历史的制高点在中国北方,那里是政治权力的中心。然而,许多革命运动、改革者、知识分子以及大量劳工,都来自南方,这些意味着什么恐怕还得好好地思考。

邹浩:您能简单介绍一下项目的进展吗?最近会有哪些新的研究成果?

张少书:我们正在与斯坦福大学出版社合作,准备结集出版一本有关铁路华工研究最新成果的学术著作,应该会在2019年出版。

邹浩:我很享受与您的对话。再次感谢您的思考。我们将会继续关注您的研究,并期待铁路华工项目的研究成果。祝您度过一个美好的节日假期!

张少书:谢谢。很高兴和你交谈。

附:

Participants:Gordon H.Chang,Hao Zou2392871

Professor Chang's Office,Lane Hall,Stanford University

December 6,2017

Zou:Professor Chang,thank you for your time and allowing me to interview you for Culture Development Review, a Chinese academic journal published by the Social Sciences Academic Press.The journal editorial team is thrilled to have this opportunity to introduce you and your scholarly works to a wider Chinese audience.Your teaching and research have been focusing on the U.S.-China relations and on the political and cultural history of Asian Americans.Your book,Friends and Enemies:The United States,China,and the Soviet Union, 1948-1972,has been well known in Chinese academia.Let's start with your research in art history.When compared to literary works and other areas of historical studies,visual art history had been fairly marginal in ethnic studies of Asian Americans.Asian American Art:A History, 1850-1970 is a groundbreaking piece of art history work.I guess that this work has something to do with your father,who was one of the most distinguished Chinese painters in the first half of the twentieth century.Could you talk about what influence he has had on your scholarly venture into art history?

Chang:My father's name was Zhang Shuqi.He was from the Hangzhou area,and was a very accomplished and successful artist in the beginning of the 1920s.He became quite well known to collectors,other artists and intellectuals,and patrons.In 1941,he painted a massive painting for the Chinese government to give to Franklin D. Roosevelt in honor of his third election of the U.S. president.It is well known as Baige Tu or 100 Doves.He followed the painting when he was sent to the United States as cultural ambassador.He was an intellectual,an artist,and he was also keenly interested and involved in U.S.-China relations and cultural diplomacy.I am a historian and I am interested in art,so it has been interesting for me to think about my father and history and to show how art and political history/diplomatic history have many interconnections.

Zou:Did you get any exposure to art and your father's works in your early days?

Chang:Sure.My father unfortunately died when I was nine years old.He came from China in 1941,and lived here from 1941 to 1946.After going back to China,he then returned to the United States in 1948,and died here in 1957.Even though I was young when he passed away,his presence was still all around,with his art work,books and study material,and his history.

Zou:What do you think about the value of art history in the study of Asian American history?

Chang:I had been long disappointed that other people who studied Asian American history did not pay more attention to art because it was such a prominent part of the communities,social,cultural,and intellectual life,and their contribution to the United States.But other people either did not have the background in art or were more interested in other areas such as political history or labor history.I just thought it is important to do something to show that art is an integral part of the past of these communities.Also,partly it is the attitude in the United States that separates art from life.I think that in Asia art,politics,and even economics are not that much separated from life.Artists in China are intellectuals;they are often very important social and political figures,not just isolated artists off on the side.

Zou:You have published a book of an early Japanese American historian:Morning Glory,Evening Shadow:Yamato Ichihashi and His Internment Writings,1942-1945. As a historian and an Asian American,you share some of the background with Ichihashi.The late Stanford historian Ichihashi spent more than three years in internment during WWⅡ.As an Asian American as well as a historian,in what ways did Professor Ichihashi affect you?

Chang:Interestingly,Ichihashi's office was somewhere around here in this corner where we sit right now.Maybe we built walls later,but I think it was around this area.Politically I never had any sympathy for him because he tended to be an apologist for imperial Japan.He was very proud of being upper-class Japanese,and he did believe that Japan in the 1930s was helping to modernize other people in Asia.I did not have any sympathy for him for that at all.But reading about his difficult life and what happened to him as a distinguished professor during the war was really tragic.He certainly did not deserve mistreatment because of his race and ethnicity.He thought Japan's attack on America was folly and tragic. I was able to identify with his trials and tribulations even though he was very distant from me in time,place,politics,and ethnicity.Nevertheless,he suffered in the way that moved me.I think others who read his story would be as well.

Zou:The impact of that life experience on him was so dramatic that he did not produce any academic work at all after returning from the internment.

Chang:He was psychologically broken.He hoped to do a lot of writing in the internment camp.Stanford shipped hundreds of books to him.He was conscious of the historic event before leaving for the camp,and started to write diaries to try to record this piece of history.He was a victim as well as a witness;he was witnessing the event as he suffered himself.Not just his profession,his family fell apart too.

Zou:Growing up as Chinese American,were you pressured or motivated in any way in school as a student and later as a professor to outperform your peers?

Chang:Yes.I think this is the area that I felt conspicuous.When I went to high school in the mid-1960s,I was really the only Chinese American in my class.I felt the pressure to stand out and do well. There was a certain praise or compliment that all Chinese did well in school,so in some sense we wanted to live up to that stereotype.I also felt it was important that we should do well not just for ourselves but to be self-respected.That was a sense I got from my mother,who was a third generation Chinese American.

Zou:In your recent book,Fateful Ties:A History of America's Preoccupation with China, you argue that many Americans have been preoccupied with China since the earliest times of the country.There has been a sense that China is imbedded in the very sense of America's self-identity.Could you explain how we can understand this mentality,a part of the idea of “manifest destiny,” in American history?

Chang:The point I make in the book is that for various reasons Americans from the beginning of the country have had a special interest in China,and have come to see that China is very important,which is essential in shaping America's future,either negatively or positively.This is far from being a recent development. Their concern about China is unlike that about other counties such as Russia,India,Japan,or Germany and England that of course are lands of ancestry for many Americans.But when they think about the future of the United States,they have often thought about China,either as a source of too much labor,or too much competition in these days as a land of opportunity for investment and market.That is why I say that Americans have come to see a special and connected destiny with China.

Zou:Is this “manifest destiny” generally connected to the belief in American “exceptionalism” that has been part of the country from its early days?

Chang:Yes.I think it is a good connection.There was a belief that the young United States was seen by many people about how the nation would inevitably takeover of the whole continent and even expand into the Pacific.I think it is a unique expansive ideology that many Americans have had.And that meant to get connected to China too.

Zou:Depicting a constant American “preoccupation” with China,you see a continuity over a long history between the two countries.The American attitude toward China oscillates between admiration and interest,and fear and hostility,the latter of which manifested in the Yellow Peril and the estrangement in 1949-1976.To reconcile,you view it as “both sides of a mirror image”.Could you help us understand this metaphor?

Chang:China has also seen the United States in special ways.Many Chinese have seen America very special,unique,and important as to their own future.In some ways there is a mirror image there.But there is also the mirror image within the United States of both fear and interest.That is a mirror image in the sense that the things Americans fear the most also attract Americans.They fear the massive Chinese population,but they are attracted also by the massive Chinese population because it is a large market.The Chinese can be labor competitors,but they also provide a huge market. They are interested in the rich culture and knowledge of Chinese civilization but also worry about its strength and difference.

Zou:Today,people are optimistic about the ever-closer interconnectedness between the two countries that may help smooth out the ebb and flow.In your book,you are very careful not to make firm predictions.But given the observed continuity of Sino-US relations,does this new phenomenon offer any insights or premonition for their future relationship?

Chang:I am careful not to predict the future. No one can. I had no idea that Trump would get elected president.You can just look at the lessons in less than one year after he has been in office.His expressed attitude toward China has gone up and down,back and forth,and from hostility to flattery.He is such an unpredictable opportunist.That shows that he and his administration cannot figure out what they want to do with China.Is China a friend and partner? Or is it going to be an adversary or foe? They cannot quite decide which side China is going to be,therefore show contradictory behaviors.On the one hand,America wants to be a friend of China in business relationships although the United States is critical much of Chinese business practices these days,and gain its help in security issues,such as in Korea.On the other hand,America is fearful of China's size.China's bigness is what attracts the United States,but also makes it fearful.What frustrates Trump and others is that they cannot force China to do anything.China is China,and it is big and powerful.There is only so much that foreigners can do from the outside to affect the direction of China.Even going back to the 19th and 20th centuries,China would do what it wanted to do.China has its long traditions,the patterns of live and behavior,and human relations that are very different from the West.The American attitude toward China will continue to swing.

Zou:The analysis you offer in the book affirms the value of cultural studies in the understanding of Sino-US relations and diplomacy.Both Friends and Enemies and Asian American Art also take the approach of examining the elite and the powerful,perhaps influenced by the “cultural turn” in American history studies.In light of this,how do you perceive the direction of Asian American immigration and ethnic studies?

Chang:What I think I am doing is that I pay attention to ideas/to ideology.I was interested more in formal diplomacy before,but I understood that formal diplomacy is made by people who hold their own ideas,prejudices,and assumptions.Those sorts of things are very important to look at.Policy ideas are not just ideas in a vacuum,but come from somewhere,and are expressive of a wider shared thinking.This is where I think it is connected to ideas about identity,race,and civilization.How is this connected to immigration and ethnic studies? I think this is a touchy time.Who knows what will happen with Trump? He could be out before his term ends.Nevertheless,his ideas have been very influential.He has energized a very right-wing extremism in the United States,which is very anti-immigrant,mainly against Latinos,but also against Asians too.I think that there is trouble ahead.

Zou:You describe your family history in this book,which was deeply shaped by the American history under study with a preoccupied attitude toward China.In some way,this book is also an exploration of your personal identity.You have travelled to China since the 1970s.Could you share some thoughts with us of your personal endeavor?

Chang:I was brought up,matured,and lived all my life in the United States.I am very much an American.Yet,because of my family background,I have strong Chinese identify from my father and from my mother.I retain a very strong sense of ethnic identity.You are right.The books are autobiographical to some degree,and reflect my own life trajectory.I am always fascinated to visit China because it is an object of intellectual interest.I studied Chinese history as an undergraduate student.I came to graduate school to study modern Chinese history.But it is also something important to me personally.I have tried to sort through the twists and turns of modern Chinese history,following the Chinese revolution,the rise of Mao,the Cultural Revolution,the return of Deng Xiaoping,the open and reform policy,and now President Xi.I would say that many Americans have been mystified by all the twists and turns of China's politics.It is indeed very hard to follow.But I still see this as a process,in which a country is trying to find its way forward.It has been agonizing and tragic in many ways.It is also a stunning,impressive history that has occurred over the last forty years.

Zou:What do you see the changes or stagnation of Chinese society and its people as well as their attitudes toward America over the last few decades?

Chang:I see both negative and positive developments.Some people are very anti-American;some people are just falling over America.There is so much money now in China,and many Chinese come to America.I see some of their attitudes.It dismays me that some of them are so materialistic,narrow,and selfish.I find that unfortunate.But there are others who are high-minded and think about something more than themselves and their own narrow interests.I see a swing from the Mao era where everything was about self-sacrifice to the present that everything is so selfish.

Zou:Currently you are leading a large interdisciplinary research project at Stanford:The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project. Contrary to the examination of the powerful,this study focuses on the laboring class.What are the primary goals of this research effort? What are the major challenges?

Chang:This project connects my two personal interests,which is my Chinese ancestry living in America and China.The Chinese railroad workers were very important Chinese Americans in American history,but they were also closely connected to China's.I am interested in studying this history as both American history and Chinese history broadly.The most difficult thing has been to try to understand the workers when we have nothing written by the workers themselves.Nothing survived about telling us how they felt,what they did,why they did this,and why they did not do that.We have tried so hard to find any material both in China and here for the last five years.But nothing has been recovered.I was hopeful,but I am skeptical now if we will ever be able to find any. So,we have to use creative historical methodologies to recover the history.We need to use journalism from the time,archaeology,family testimonies,cultural material,and business records which we have.

Zou:In order to give a voice to the silent Chinese migrant workers whose contribution to the development of the American West was monumental,how important do you think it is to gain insights of Chinese immigrants' social and cultural background in Guangdong?

Chang:Very important.I think that Southern Chinese studies have been an important part of Chinese history,but I don't think the southerners have been given sufficient recognition because I think the vantage point of modern Chinese history is really from the north where the power was.However,so many revolutionaries,reformers,intellectuals,and laborers came from the south.What that all means is something that we still have much more to think about.

Zou:Could you provide a brief update on the project? Are any interesting scholarly works related to this project coming out anytime soon?

Chang:We are working with Stanford University Press on publication of a book of scholarship on Chinese railroad workers.We are hopeful this will come out in 2019.

Zou:I have really enjoyed this great conversation.Thank you again very much for your thoughts.The journal editors will follow your scholarship closely and watch the progress of the railroad project.Wish you a wonderful holiday season!

Chang:Thank you.It is very nice to chat.

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