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c h a p t e r 4  No Longer in Need of a Bench The ocean voyage to Europe was long and rough and lasted thirty-three days. Chiang Yee saw many spectacular scenes, but nothing seemed to impress him more than the sunrise over the ocean. In China, he had various opportunities to enjoy viewing the sunrise from atop various mountains. As the penetrating sunbeam began to “lift the dark shroud from the earth,” he always felt “refreshed mentally,” able to see “more significance” in his life.1 The sunrise on the ocean, however, offered an entirely new perspective because he was looking at the sun not from above but from its own level. The sun did not seem to illuminate the entire earth but only “the flat emptiness of the sea.” It appeared as though the boat was “propelled not by her own engine but by a force drawn from the sun and by my own urgent desire to reach what lay ahead of me.”2 “On the Pacific Ocean” is a poem that he wrote upon the sight of the sunrise over the ocean. A mysterious whole unites the vast emptiness. The wholesome wind of heaven tosses and twitches my coat. I watch the early sun rising from the ship And feel as if I were reading an unfamiliar book.3 An ancient Chinese sage pronounced that, to be a wise man,“one should read ten thousand volumes of books and travel ten thousand miles.” Traveling allows one to meet new people and encounter new phenomena, an experience that cannot be substituted by formal education. The phrase “reading an unfamiliar book” in the poem is a reference to that advice. Indeed, Yee had just celebrated his thirtieth birthday on the deck of the Lebrun, probably in the Indian Ocean. Confucius said, “A man should become independent at the age of thirty.” It was unlikely that Yee had a birthday party or cake with which to celebrate; he probably gazed at the water and sky and reflected on the meaning of life and his unknown future in Europe. Sure enough, age thirty, a dividing line between youth and adulthood, marked the threshold of a new phase in his life. 48 no longer in need of a bench 49 After the Lebrun docked at Marseilles, a beautiful city shrouded in dense morning mist, Yee boarded a train for Paris where he stayed overnight in a small hotel. Early the next morning, he parted from his nephew, who was to stay in Paris, and crossed the English Channel by ferry. On June 15, 1933, Chiang Yee arrived in London. His life outside China had begun. His friend, Luo Changhai, met him at Victoria Station in London and then took him to a Chinese restaurant. Luo had arranged with his own landlady to vacate a room for Yee. “Get rid of all bureaucratic habits!”—that was the first advice Luo gave him. Indeed, life in London would be a huge transition. Yee used to have between eighty and three hundred soldiers guarding his office and residence, as well as six personal servants.4 He was used to relying on servants and bodyguards to take care of his life and security; now, as a foreign student, he had to depend on himself and even learn to prepare his own meals. Nevertheless, he quickly found that the gas stove in London was surprisingly convenient and fairly easy to master. Furthermore, preparing one’s own meals was very economical. Yee and Luo had not seen each other for five years, ever since the latter left China. Luo was as diligent as ever. On the bookshelves in his room were many volumes of notebooks full of notes taken from his reading. Yee soon noticed distinct traces of foreign influence in his friend. For example, whenever Luo came for a visit, he would pause at the door, glance at his watch, and declare, “Now I have five minutes to talk to you.” As soon as time was up, he would get up and return to his own room. He advised Yee to improve his English skills quickly. It was vital for Yee, who knew only five English words upon arriving, to master a substantial amount of English vocabulary and learn to engage in daily conversations . Luo found a female tutor to give Yee one-hour English conversation lessons every other day; he also checked on Yee’s progress occasionally. Even...

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