Interview on the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States: Veteran Journalist Weizhou Wei Discusses the American Spirit and the Contributions of Chinese Americans

In an exclusive interview with VOA Chinese, veteran journalist Wei Bizhou reviewed the 250-year history of the United States, exploring how the core of the American spirit lies in constant experimentation, correction, and change, as well as in freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. He pointed out that Chinese immigrants came to the U.S. to seek a freer and more democratic life and should actively participate in and contribute to American society. Wei reviewed the contributions of Chinese people to U.S. economic development, from building railroads in the early days to their current involvement in information technology and artificial intelligence, emphasizing that Chinese people should recognize the role they play and contribute to American society. At the same time, he expressed concern that the voices of the Chinese community are not being heard sufficiently, calling on them to form a collective force to safeguard their rights and interests. He believes that the strength of the American system lies in allowing different voices to emerge and debate, thereby enabling continuous progress.

Video link:

Full text:

Teacher Wei, regarding the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, looking back over these 250 years, what do you think is the greatest strength of the United States as a nation, or even as a spirit? And what will be the biggest challenge for the next 50 years?

This 250th anniversary is a very important milestone. At 250 years old, having gone through various political systems, the country is still on this journey, and it is not over; it is a never-ending experiment. Therefore, in terms of the United States itself, it is a spirit of constant experimentation, constant correction, and constant change, because no one can say that human civilization or political systems are perfect or 100% complete. That is how it is. The founding spirit of the United States itself allows for this kind of constant experimentation, constant correction, and constant change. In this process, of course, there is constant arguing, back-and-forth criticism, and even situations of violence. But as long as the principle—the principle of avoiding large-scale violence and allowing ordinary people to continue living without any fear, generation after generation—is maintained, I think this is a very fundamental reason. I believe the original founders of the United States basically took this into consideration.

I think he brought up a quite interesting point. Let me first share an observation with everyone. Around April this year, the British monarch visited the United States. This was also a major celebration, marking 255 years—fittingly representing the blood ties, culture, and cultural relationship between the United States and Britain. President Trump basically stated in his speech that Americans originally set out to resist British tyranny, to resist all those British taxes and a multitude of things. Those people in Britain originally went there to resist tyranny and re-establish a new free world, which is why they came to America. The implication was that these are the true British people, the true British spirit, which they brought to America. And then in America, for instance, these British people continuously carried on this spirit—a spirit of freedom and democracy, resisting any form of government imposition upon the ordinary people, and so forth. So what he meant by telling King Charles was that not only in America are we constantly letting the original ideas—including various British cultures, thoughts, democracy, and freedom—spread continuously, but we are also conducting our experiments here, and we are doing better and better. This was somewhat of a mutual courtesy, but it also contained a subtle irony, as if saying: look at what you have become now versus what we are doing now. There was this pride and this contrast involved. Therefore, if you think about the founding spirit of America, you can trace it back to this point and ponder why those British people ran to America, to this new American continent, and what they truly wanted. Of course, taxes—resisting this tyrannical taxation—was one part of it. Then there were other things, and these so-called Founding Fathers of 1776 came up with such a framework. So this is basically the fundamental narrative.

Now, just as you said, what does American politics have today? Naturally, descending from this principle, what you see is freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. This freedom has many facets: individual freedom, which can include freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and various different degrees of freedom that exist, allowing everyone here to act as a free person without fear. And this is something I believe everyone sees, arguing back and forth every day—amendments concerning freedom of speech, gun rights, abortion, all these are constantly unfolding in living reality. Therefore, we basically live within the American culture, or within the experiment of the American democratic system. Every one of us can participate, which is a very fundamental spirit. I believe as long as this spirit exists, the United States will not have problems.

As a Chinese immigrant, with the United States celebrating 250 years of nationhood, what symbolic meaning do you think this holds for the overall Chinese immigrant community?

Certainly, what you said is also correct; there is the issue of contrast. Because the motherland from which Chinese people currently come—well, let's call it the mother country—differs greatly from the United States today, whether in ideology, political system, or basically even in interpersonal relationships. We cannot say which one is good or bad, but the fact we face right now is that there are continuous waves of Chinese people coming from their motherland to the United States. Everyone knows that coming from the mother country serves only one purpose: escaping poverty and hardship, escaping disaster, and seeking a better life, and so on. This is something we, the Chinese living in the United States—whether those who arrived 200 years ago or those who just arrived recently—all know: we are seeking a life that is freer, more democratic, and more capable of mastering our own destiny. So this baseline is a yardstick that everyone holds in their hearts.

In that case, as we enjoy in the United States all the various systems already created here, what we need to think about is, on the one hand, how we can enable this American system to continue, and on the second hand, how we can actively participate in and utilize this American system so that our successive generations can put down deep roots in the United States and hopefully lead a better and more prosperous life. Furthermore, within this grand American culture and its pantheon of figures, what can we truly contribute? We can contribute the essence of the culture from our own ancestral land, including what we talk about—filial piety, integrity, and many other such essences within our own Chinese culture—and how we can integrate them into this American culture so they can be embraced. And this is closely, closely related to our own social status, political and economic standing, and academic capabilities. Therefore, on the one hand, we integrate—these newly arrived immigrants integrate into the mainstream life of America, while on the other hand, we must be able to fuse in the elements from our own mother country. To some extent, we must make some contributions to the United States; we must always keep contribution in mind. Of course, this contribution is a positive one, not engaging in unorthodox or rebellious actions. So I think every Chinese person has this clear understanding and this responsibility.

You have served in this Chinese-language media outlet for many years and have always been on the front lines of reporting on the Chinese community. As the United States welcomes its 250th anniversary, from your perspective, what kind of role have Chinese Americans played in this history, and do you have any special stories to share with us?

We all know that early Chinese in America—referred to back then as Chinese laborers—made very, very significant, substantive contributions to the early economy of the United States, specifically by helping build the transcontinental railroad. At the time, there were certainly political, economic, and discriminatory backdrops involved. However, our industrious Chinese ancestors indeed played a definitive role in connecting the eastern and western parts of the United States for the very first time. This is something I believe American history will acknowledge. Even as Chinese Americans, we must continually emphasize this within American civic education. At the same time, we must systematically compile the history of the many Chinese laborers, their experiences, and their families that were previously buried—though much of this is being organized now—so that we can imbue it with new meaning. That is the first point: the railroads our people helped build for America.

What about the second point? What actually is the second point? The second point is the Information Highway. Now, regarding the Information Highway, you have to trace it back to the time when it also helped unite the United States through an information network. Here, you have to credit the foundational engineers who came from Hong Kong and Taiwan. When I first came over here and started reporting, I discovered that in places like early AT&T, Lucent, or even earlier at IBM, many engineers coming from Hong Kong and Taiwan played a crucial role in the development of American information engineering. So you could say that we helped America, and these Chinese helped the United States function effectively when the country was uniting its information infrastructure.

Next, you can see an even more remarkable development: today's AI. Chinese people are also playing a very important role in this AI wave. Once again, whether in American civilization or based on the craftsmanship of technology, Chinese people play a civilizational role in the civilization that AI is currently shaping for the United States and the world. This is not about bragging, but we must recognize that such a reality exists. Not only must we know this fact, but we must also make all Americans aware of the role we have played here.

Therefore, at this 250th anniversary, we Chinese Americans must recognize America's past history and future development. At the same time, we must also recognize that there are indeed very, very large conflicts between the current United States and China, and they may even head down different paths. There are many frictions and struggles between the two sides amid these different paths, and this truly requires those of us who have already come to the United States to make our own choices. What kind of perspective should we hold regarding our lifestyle, our values, and the continuation of our future generations? Of course, this does not mean it must be hostility—this is definitely not a concept of hostility; rather, it is a guiding principle for how everyone must live.

Having worked for so long, I now feel a sense of worry: the voice of the Chinese community cannot be heard. Our voices fail to emerge. Whenever issues related to the Chinese community arise, we are unable to quickly form a centralized voice and force in a short period of time to support, voice solidarity, or express the collective voice of Chinese Americans. Looking ahead, this is what worries me most regarding the rights and interests of Chinese Americans in the United States.

For you, what are the core values of the United States?

In my opinion, what I truly feel here in the United States is freedom, democracy, and the respect for and protection of property. All of these require the rule of law and different political systems to maintain. Furthermore, I also feel that as citizens, our discussions, persistence, and improvements regarding these matters can be achieved through constant—whether you call it arguing or dialogue—reaching a consensus, which everyone then follows. However, with the changes in technology and the emergence of new voices, including new immigrants and the next generation, different new perspectives will continue to arise. Yet, the American system allows these new voices to constantly emerge, develop, and argue, and in every era, each person will have different views on their own various rights and interests. Through the electoral process—of course, some say there is election fraud or that it costs a lot of money—it currently appears to be a very good method. No one has to be a 'leek' (a victim of exploitation), no one has to be a mere bystander, everyone can participate, and the American system ensures that your voice will be heard. Of course, everyone must work hard, a collective effort; it is the power of such a system that allows the United States to keep moving forward, constantly moving forward.

I just mentioned that this is an experiment, an experiment for humanity regarding politics and culture. There is no true endpoint, nor is there a fixed model. So, this is a mountain or a goal we must climb; there is no need to impose unnecessary contradictions and burdens on ourselves. But each generation moves forward for its own life, and American society and this system allow us to do so.

Alright, thank you, Professor Wei Bizhou. Thank you very much for accepting this interview. On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, thank you for discussing with us the American spirit and the meaning of being a Chinese immigrant living in the United States. Thank you very much, Professor Wei Bizhou, thank you.