Do you remember what you were doing on October 6, 1982?
Perhaps not, as it was exactly 40 years ago.
But I do, because it was a special day for me – I finally “escaped” from “communist China” on that day – I left China for Japan on October 6, 1982!
No, I did not leave China in a boat. Nor did I sneak out of China in darkness. Rather, together with other 149 “special” Chinese students, I left China with a huge honor: after being chosen by the government to pursue graduate degrees in Japan, we were warmly sent off by some government officials on that day, in anticipation that we, upon completion of our studies, would all come back home for the modernization of China.
1. How were we chosen?
Through the exams for graduate schools before we finished college in January 1982! Yes, we were all part of Class 81 (or “Grade 77”, as is known in China).
My graduate school exam consisted of five parts as follows:
- English (a national exam).
- Political Science (a national exam).
- Advanced Math (Zhejiang University’s exam).
- Advanced Electrical Engineering (Zhejiang University’s exam).
- Advanced Electronics (Zhejiang University’s exam).
I scored the best in my major and earned a slot in Japan. The other 149 folks went through a similar process in the top universities throughout China.
Here was a big problem: many of us did not know a single word of Japanese …
No problem – The Chinese government planned it way ahead.
2. How were we prepared for Japan?
In March 1982, all 150 of us were gathered in two places in Northeast China (100 in Dalian and 50, including me, in Changchun) to study Japanese. It was a crash course in Japanese: 10 hours a day, five days a week, for six months, with all the teachers being Japanese.
What a great way to quickly learn a difficult foreign language!
Ready or not, all 150 of us boarded a giant chartered plane to Tokyo on October 6, 1982.
3. To which universities did we go?
Because we were absolutely the best and brightest students from China, and the first large group of graduate students ever sent out by the PRC to Japan, we were entitled to attend the best universities in Japan. Otherwise, it would have been an intolerable insult to China, would it not?
No problem – The Chinese government worked it out with the Japanese government way ahead of time: We were assigned to the seven “Imperial” Universities (i.e., Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Tohoku, Hokkaido, and Kyushu), plus Tokyo Institute of Technology (a.k.a. Japan’s MIT) and The University of Tsukuba (Japan’s new all-tech university).
I was assigned to the University of Tokyo (aka “Japan’s Harvard”) and was very happy about it – It must have been the exam score(s).
See, “just do well in school, good life will follow,” as an old Chinese proverb says.
The photo below shows the author in 1982, shortly after arriving in Japan.
4. Where are we now?
In 1985, I was the first out of the original 150, to leave Japan for America, on my own. Later, about 10 folks followed me to America in their own ways. Most of the rest completed their degrees (mostly Ph.D.) in Japan and went back to China. Many are now retired, after becoming VIPs in China.
As for me personally, three informative readings:
- My American Dream Has Come True!
- Why and how do I write?
- History 2.0 – China’s Comeback vs. America’s Decline.
5. Closing
One day, we will have a reunion. I am sure each of us will have a different story to tell. But one thing in common for all 150 of us is that we all shall remember October 6, 1982 – It was what we all worked hard for and it was the day that profoundly changed us all …
Meanwhile, I will strive to live long and well – Enjoy the video below.
