by Allen Cardoza
Allen Cardoza of Answers4thefamilyblog.com recently interviewed author Matthew Miller on L.A. Talk Radio. The interview on March 21st was about Miller’s new book “Fortunate Sons,” which he co-authored with Liel Leibovitz. The complete name of the book is “Fortunate Sons: The 120 Chinese Boys Who Came to America, Went to School, and Revolutionized an Ancient Civilization.”
“Fortunate Sons” is a true story. In the 19th Century, 120 Chinese boys were sent to study in America. They returned home to help create modern China.
Toward the close of the nineteenth century, China sent a select group of boys to America to learn the ways of the West. Their mission was to modernize the antiquated empire. They were sent to learn how to defend China from foreigners invading its shores.
Researching diaries, letters, and numerous first-person accounts, “Fortunate Sons” reveals an amazing story, weaving the dramas of diverse lives caught in the momentous thrust of a nation reinventing itself.
In 1854, Jung Wing graduated from Yale. He was he first Chinese student to graduate from an American university.
Yung returned to China. Qing dynasty officials noticed his American education. They were impressed by his English-language abilities.
China’s ruling class was desperate. They wanted to upgrade their military power. They sought Yung’s help to buy machines from Massachusetts. Yung, however, suggested a better answer. Why not establish an engineering school? It would be a place for young Chinese to learn American industrial methods.
On the whole, the Chinese students were well treated by Americans. This was in sharp contrast to how Chinese in the American West were regarded in those days.
What separated the two groups was class. The mission students were selected for their scholarly and leadership potential, whereas the West Coast Chinese were either poor and uneducated or hardscrabble merchants.
The students returned to a crumbling China. The empire was in disarray. It had been beset by growing internal factionalism. Four decades earlier, European powers had claimed territory and won concessions.
The Chinese ruling class recognized the value of the mission students, who won midlevel bureaucratic appointments and later rose to greater authority.
Looking to find more details about “Fortunate Sons”, then visit www.answersforthefamily.com to listen to the recorded interview with Matthew Miller.
