Chapter 6: People’s Republic of China: The “New Frontier” to the “New World”: Stories of Surviving, Striving, and Thriving in China and the United States

Growing up as a poor girl next to the large Gobi Desert but close to enticingly diverse ethnic groups in far northwest Xinjiang China during the Cultural Revolution, I had never imagined in my wildest dream that one day I would leave my scarcely populated hometown for college, pursue a decade of an academic career in two universities, and then move to the United States at the prime of my life to start a new journey as a student, professor, and mother of two kids who are 16 years apart. In my 57 years, I have lived through the best and worst moments in China and the United States, and I am forever grateful for these experiences. This oral history will describe my lived experiences and stories that at once frustrated and inspired me over the past 5 decades and shaped who I am today. My memories in China include many important events: societal discrimination against my family during the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, the exotic yet amusing life with Muslim people in my hometown, the rapidly changing society in the 1980s and 1990s related to my life, and the decision to cross the Pacific at age 35 to pursue a new life in the United States. My stories in the United States mainly focus on my immigration experience and professional work. I am proud to work in promoting global and multicultural education over the past 2 decades. Meanwhile, I feel bewildered and frustrated with the current intense relationship between China and the United States, the accusation of human rights issues in my hometown, Xinjiang, and the discrimination and violence against Asian Americans due to the pandemic. This oral history will offer readers of oral histories a unique, personal resource and perspective about different cultures, social changes, and the impact on people who lived through them.