September 30, 2010
Professor Liao’s class always keeps me interested. There is nothing quite like learning about a historic event from a person who has witnessed it. It always impresses me when people overcome really awful situations, and instead of being resentful they are humbled by the experience. I think I’m so impressed by this mostly because I feel like I wouldn’t be able to act with such grace if I had been in the same situation. Professor Liao gives off an air of wisdom, though sometimes it feels hard to ask him questions about his experiences, because it obviously still effects him greatly. You can see in his eyes the emotions he holds over The Cultural Revolution. I know that some people's grandparents experienced The Great Depression, and are still greatly effected by it, but I don’t know how I went though life not really knowing that something far far worse than that of The Great Depression happened only forty years ago. It makes me frustrated that not many people in the United States know about it, it seems like they only focus on China’s politics. I’m glad though that the Confucius Institute is becoming more and more prominent in the United States. Maybe then more people can be educated about China’s past.
