Hole Digger Ling Zhou

“Do children in China also think that if they dig a hole in the ground, it can go all the way to America?” I could not help smiling when a little girl asked me this question during my first presentation. I was startled by the fact that people in America have so much imagination about China. Wondering whether I should bring up the issue of southern China architecture and landscaping, I had been preparing anxiously for the third presentation about China, this time for the high school.

Several days later, I found myself explaining how a Chinese keyboard works, analyzing the importance of the architectural configuration in ancient dynasties, drawing a map to show the locations of Shangri-la and the Great Wall, demonstrating my art skills, and even singing a piece of Beijing Opera without painting my face.

Mr. Cute, whose class I joined and shared my experience with, happened to be the moderator of the town meeting that I attended as an observer. “Let us welcome Ling, as a student ambassador, who has brought a great deal of delight and knowledge to our town of Rehoboth!” He said. Never before have so many people clapped for me. I stood up, turned around and smiled with happiness and pride.

Minutes later, I sat down with all the...