William N. Brown Chasing the Chinese Dream Four Decades of Following China’s War on Poverty Chasing the Chinese Dream William N. Brown Chasing the Chinese Dream Four Decades of Following China’s War on Poverty “China’s targeted poverty alleviation is the world’s only way to help the poor and reach the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, 2017. William N. Brown MBA Center Xiamen University Xiamen, China ISBN 978-981-16-0653-3 ISBN 978-981-16-0654-0 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0654-0 Jointly published with NewChannel International Education Group Limited The print edition is not for sale in China Mainland. Customers from China Mainland please order the print book from NewChannel International Education Group Limited. © NewChannel International Education Group Limited 2021. This book is an open access publication. 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This work is subject to copyright. All commercial rights are reserved by the author(s), whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Regarding these commercial rights a non-exclusive license has been granted to the publisher. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Preface For more than two decades China served as the most potent anti-poverty weapon the world has ever known…. Of every five people in the world who escaped poverty during this span – a total of roughly 1.1 billion people – three were Chinese. World Economic Forum, Feb. 3, 2016 In my youth I dreamed of visiting Australia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, but I had no interest at all in Asia. That I ended up in China was, as Chinese say, sheer Yuanfen (fate). When I arrived in Xiamen, I was impressed by the nation’s goals and the people’s excitement and optimism, but I wondered if reform and opening up benefited people in the remote interior. I determined to find out for myself—and I’m still exploring to this day. If I had scripted my own life from cradle to grave, I could not have conjured up a more exciting or fulfilling adventure than witnessing firsthand the world’s most populous nation single-mindedly eradicate absolute poverty. For over three decades I’ve explored every corner of the country by bicycle, boat, car, train, plane—even farm tractor a few times, as well as on foot into inaccessible valleys. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life—farmers, fishermen, teachers, doctors, engineers, merchants, street sweepers, barbers, scientists, and athletes. I’ve been inspired by students like Feifei, who as a five-year-old sold herbs on the street side to support her struggling family but made it to Xiamen University, graduated top in her class, then graduated from Harvard, worked for McKinsey and Google, and is now a professional and proud mother of two. And there’s the farm girl with four years education whose Chinese Dream was to earn 20 Yuan a month as a maid for a Xiamen University professor but who is today a multimillionaire philanthropist with international schools, real estate ventures, and a biotechnology company. And I can’t forget the boy who had no shoes until he was a teen but today is one of China’s top tunnel experts, philanthropist, and producer of historical documentaries. I’ve met Mongolian herdsman who track their cattle by mobile phone and China’s Beidou satellite navigation system and Tibetan farmers with online shops for their v vi Preface traditional products, as well as boat people who had never stepped foot on land until Xi Jinping gave them homes and training. One of the shy mothers that I met now earns more from aquaculture than I earn as a professor. The village still keeps a sampan in the square to remind everyone of where they came from. Honey farmers, geneticists, doctors, street sweepers—their stories all prove that China has done so much so fast not just because of top-down visionary leadership but because of bottom-up grassroots industriousness and innovativeness. But I’ve also been fortunate to meet many of the visionary leaders behind China’s rapid transformation—people like premiers Li Peng and Wen Jiabao, or a young Xi Jinping, whom I witnessed tackle poverty in Fujian and slowly move up the ranks from Xiamen vice-mayor to Fujian governor to president of China. Until I met Dr. Huang Chengwei, former director of the entire anti-poverty program, I had no idea of the sheer complexity of balancing so many diverse factors, including rapid economic growth, regional disparity, urbanization challenges, and environmental protection. Yet the UN and World Bank have documented how China has excelled in virtually every measure. I have witnessed mistakes and failures, of course. What nation with 1.4 billion people would not have missteps? Yet China learns from successes and mistakes alike and presses forward. New Nation, Ancient Ways Although I’ve witnessed phenomenal changes, one thing that has not changed, in 30 years or 2,000 years, is the nation’s commitment to what Confucius called the “Ancient Ways”—the moral imperative for a just and ethical government to maintain peace and stability and to meet the needs of the people—some 56 million even 2,000 years ago according to China’s census in 2 A.D. Old China’s leaders led the nation with unsurpassed inventiveness, ingenuity, and passion for most of 2,000 years. I’ve no doubt they would have been proud at what New China’s leaders have accomplished in only seven decades. Since New China’s founding in 1949, the Chinese government has said, “A pros- perous society cannot coexist with poverty.” In the same way, there is no reason for such a small planet as ours to have unprecedented prosperity coexisting with endemic poverty. Fortunately, China is now tackling poverty in other nations through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and similar initiatives. It’s a tall task, but if any nation can lead the world in eradicating absolute poverty, it’s China. I have met only two classes of people who are able confidently to assert, “We do [understand China]!” They are newspaper reporters and globe-trotters. As for myself, I am continually discovering a continental area still unexplored. Dr. Arthur H. Smith (1845–1932), author and resident of China for 54 years. Xiamen, China William N. Brown Preface vii 1. Photos of author (Photos by Zhu Qingfu) 2. Interviews in Ningde, Fujian Province Visit to Nantang She Minority Village Primary School in Xiapu County, Ningde, on December 5, 2019 (Photo by Zhu Qingfu) viii Preface Interviewing Lan Naizhong, Nantang Village, Xiapu County, Ningde, on December 5, 2019 (Photo by Zhu Qingfu) Panoramic view of Nantang Village, Xiapu County, Ningde (Photo by Zhu Qingfu) Preface ix 3. Interviews in Shaoshan, Hunan Visiting Mao Family Restaurant in Xiangtan, Hunan on November 12, 2019 (Photo by Zhu Qingfu) 4. Interviews in Eighteen Caves Village, Hunan Province Eighteen Caves Village is secluded deep within Hunan’s mountains (Photo by Zhu Qingfu) x Preface Interviewing Miao villager Yang Chaowen in Eighteen Caves Village, Hunan, November 11, 2019 (Photo by Zhu Qingfu) Taking a photo with a Miao grandmother in Eighteen Caves Village, Hunan, December 11, 2019 (Photo by Zhu Qingfu) Preface xi 5. Visit to Changsha, Hunan (Photo by Zhu Qingfu) xii Preface 6. Interviews in Yunnan’s Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture Panoramic view of a village in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture (Photo by Li Jintai) Interviewing a Lisu family, December 10, 2019 (Photo by Li Jintai) Preface xiii 7.