Introduction
For four weeks, my life was influenced by the people
of Wuyi University and Jiangmen City in GuangDong Province in the People's
Republic of China. The warm and friendly 
hospitality is what one remembers so vividly.
Wuyi is not large by university standards in this country with a student
population of a little more than 4,000 or 5,000 students and a little more
than 350 faculty. It is a regional university built on a foundation focusing
a broad base of education for students. In this sense, it is different from
most Chinese universities. It is like a state university in this country.
It's student body is mainly drawn from a five county area (the meaning of
Wuyi is five counties) which has a population of around fifteen million
people. It is not the only 
university in this region but one of
many. Most of students come from areas immediately within this Wuyi county.
Many students live a bus ride from their homes. They return home sparingly
- mostly between semesters - and live in dorms on campus throughout the
school year. There are four students to a room, which in Chinese standards
is actually fairly good. In some universities there are as many as 10 students
per room. Students are imposed by a curfew of 11:00 pm and are not allowed
to "fall in love" during their college years. (It was our understanding
that the electricity in the dorms was turned off after 11:00 pm. It is equally
clear that friendships crossed between the sexes.) They take far many more
courses in an academic year than students here. They will take about 12
to 14 different courses. They must also pass physical fitness tests in running
and swimming in order to advance in the university. As several students
struggled to pass their swimming test, I wondered how many Mesa Community
College students would really be able to pass the same tests? Classes are
held is rooms that are modest and almost uncomfortable given the 
weather in the region. The heat and humidity make sitting
through two hour classes hard. Fans circulate air and open windows allow
a certain flow of air through the room. Desks are simple and most uncomfortable.
So life for Wuyi students is not as easy as it is for the students I have
in my classes here at Mesa Community College. They attend more hours in
class; have less comfortable learning environments; have a campus life (See
Campus Life); and
are not suppose to fall in love until after they graduate.
My home was the Cultural Exchange building. The Cultural
Exchange building was constructed for the purpose of housing visiting administrators,
faculty as well as foreign exchange students (of which there is one from
Mexico attending Wuyi at this time). It serves this 
purpose well, and I, for my part, was exceptionally
comfortable throughout the time I was at Wuyi. While it was dorm style living
where we ate, slept, did laundry, had classes, and exchanged ideas with
Wuyi students and faculty, it was a home of sorts. It was a comfortable
living arrangement with a staff that never ceased to provide the utmost
of care and attention to our every need. Contrary to some of the warnings
we were given before we came to China, the food was safe, extremely delicious
and was always prepared to please us - which it did. At our request, it
was Chinese food that we ate at all three meals. Breakfast seemed the most
altered to fit us Americans with a favorite of peanut butter on toast developed
as a culinary taste for many of us by the end of the stay. It should be
noted that Chinese food here in America is what one can label as "Americanized"
and as I will discuss in a separate section - I would prefer the real thing
over what we have here in the "Americanized" version. (See The Real Chinese Food)
What made the stay most enjoyable were the people. Their
friendship was a special part of what I began to call the "great adventure."
The nature of Chinese people is something that one can only appreciate in
contexts such as the one I had while in Wuyi. The people are warm, friendly,
gracious, and always willing to give. (See Friendships)
On my first visit to the Information Center to meet with my counterparts
(or at least part of my counterparts), I was
loaned a bicycle to get around the campus and city. That is typical of Chinese
giving. It did present me with a slight dilemma since I had not ridden a
bicycle for well over ten years and then only so briefly; I was clearly
not prepared to take on the "masses" not only on the campus but
let alone in the streets of the "city"! That was a formidable
task that took me well over a week to muster enough courage for and only
then did I have two student bodyguards to encounter hazards on my right
and left. Their vigil for on-coming traffic with numerous warnings to "be
careful" were a slight comfort at the time. The loan of the bicycle,
however, did mark a new horizon for me not only in terms of getting around
in the style of Wuyi, but also as a meaning of Chinese hospitality. (See
City Description)
hospitality is what one remembers so vividly.
Wuyi is not large by university standards in this country with a student
population of a little more than 4,000 or 5,000 students and a little more
than 350 faculty. It is a regional university built on a foundation focusing
a broad base of education for students. In this sense, it is different from
most Chinese universities. It is like a state university in this country.
It's student body is mainly drawn from a five county area (the meaning of
Wuyi is five counties) which has a population of around fifteen million
people. It is not the only 
university in this region but one of
many. Most of students come from areas immediately within this Wuyi county.
Many students live a bus ride from their homes. They return home sparingly
- mostly between semesters - and live in dorms on campus throughout the
school year. There are four students to a room, which in Chinese standards
is actually fairly good. In some universities there are as many as 10 students
per room. Students are imposed by a curfew of 11:00 pm and are not allowed
to "fall in love" during their college years. (It was our understanding
that the electricity in the dorms was turned off after 11:00 pm. It is equally
clear that friendships crossed between the sexes.) They take far many more
courses in an academic year than students here. They will take about 12
to 14 different courses. They must also pass physical fitness tests in running
and swimming in order to advance in the university. As several students
struggled to pass their swimming test, I wondered how many Mesa Community
College students would really be able to pass the same tests? Classes are
held is rooms that are modest and almost uncomfortable given the