Intimate Encounters in China/中国印象

'Dr Ross Colquhoun is my co-author for a few writing projects.Ichose him, or he chose me, in a partnership simply because we oftenspoke with the same mind. I feel very happy to know his book will soonbe published. I felt honoured when he asked me to write a few words as aforeword to the book.From the book we can see how his life was in China: What heencountered, experienced, what he liked and disliked, what he expected andwhat was unexpected, His life in Tianjin made a big difference to him. Tosome degree I can confidently say his life in Tianjin city and China at large changed him, He is now a different Doctor Ross Colquhoun from the time before he ever came to China.He was a fair-minded man beforehe visited China, as he was not swayedby the'mainstream'opinions on Chinain the West. As he said,'l questionedthe stereotypes from the start.' Thestereotypes, as Iinterpret it were theunfair' judgements of China and the Chinese people. I have personally met a few Westerners who were overlycritical about anything China did, simply because they wore colouredglasses before they landed in China.Ross is no ordinary type: He had an enquiring mind, he looked intomatters, he asked questions, he reached out and talked to people of any rankin society, You can see in his book how many people he has talked with. Hegot into the homes of local Chinese. That made a big difference.There have been Westerners who had never been to the homes of localChinese, met their families and experienced the way they live and care foreach other. Ross travelled so extensively in China. Very often he was theonly foreigner in an alien place, he had the guts and his ventures rewardedhim with unique experiences.One striking characteristic of the Chinese people is that they take foodas a matter of paramount importance. Li Yiji, a famous strategist of the lateHan Dynasty, once said, 'Food is Heaven for the common folk, During his time in China, Ross paid much attention to the way the Chinese cook andeat food. Ross was hitting the nail on the head when he said, 'For Chinesepeople, one of the most frequent and proud claims for what is special abouta hometown is the food and the special dishes that each region is knownfor,'' What a Chinese person misses most when away from home for a longtime might be the porridge he or she used to have every morning. The wayRoss got to know the specialties of Tianjin and other regions shows how deeply he got into the local culture and customs.