Dragon Hearts Read online

  PRAISE FOR DRAGON HEARTS LOVE IN CHINA

  “Love this book. You will too. It is a must read. I love journals and personal experiences on location. I read it almost non-stop, and then, read it again slower. If you like drama, this has it. The blizzard, stuck on a train in China, totally grabbed me. I know it is a true story, saw it in the paper in the United States. I hope this is the first book in a series of books on Carol Ann’s travels in China. I would love to pre-order the next one. Count me in Carol Ann. Great book. Congrats!”

  -Beverly Brosmer

  “This book is fun to read and educational too! It is a great way to learn about China, her culture, and her people. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I can’t wait for the sequel!”

  -Amazon Reviewer

  “I loved this book and if you want to learn about the people of China, this is the book to read. It blended the culture of an American teacher with her Chinese colleagues and students. Made me realize the difference in the cultures really didn’t change the fact that we are all human and can embrace others with open arms.”

  -Dr. Nancy Denlinger

  “I enjoyed reading about Carol Ann’s adventures in China. She allows us to feel what she does, and to see a culture and its people as she did, with an open mind and heart. She reminds me that it is people that make life worth living, and that our differences can be what make it most interesting.”

  -Don McManus

  “An amazingly personal account of one American woman’s experiences teaching for a year in China! And a marvelous study of the differences, and more importantly, the SIMILARITIES between our peoples and cultures. Absolutely a must read book!”

  -John W. Wieder

  “Thanks to a trusted friend’s book recommendation, I just finished reading (and loving!) “Dragon Hearts: Love in China.” Frankly, one of the reasons I was prompted to read it was due to the fact that the author is a bright, single, Midwestern woman, successful college professor, and attorney. With this resume, I felt certain she would be well suited to offer readers a unique perspective of China that would differentiate itself from any I’d previously read. Having just now finished the book, I am grateful to report that Ms. Nix delivers! This is a fascinating story that readers will not only immensely enjoy, but also think about “time and again” for many years to come. Throughout her memoir, the author deftly invites us along with her as she comes to know, and later hold in highest regard, the Chinese people, their protocol, and cultural perspectives. Also, it certainly doesn’t hurt (from this reader’s perspective!), that along the way Ms. Nix falls in love not only with the Chinese people, but also with one of Beijing’s handsome and most eligible younger men! Their story delves into not only the possibilities, but also the roadblocks, that a relationship of this nature would necessarily bring. DRAGON HEARTS: LOVE IN CHINA, is a fascinating read, and one that will remain with you long after you (begrudgingly!) finish the last page! Highly Recommended!”

  -Jennifer Cressy Deane

  “This beautifully written book builds a bridge between American and Chinese cultures. In the dailiness of living, Carol Ann Nix has captured the essence of modern life in China – not only the sights, sounds, smells and tastes – but also in the relationships she formed. She shares her experiences with clarity, honesty and vulnerability, and teaches in a myriad of ways that we are more alike than different. A must read for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of human nature. I’m eagerly looking forward to the sequel!”

  -Anna

  “Other than being there yourself, I don’t know a better way to experience the truth and reality of life in China. This isn’t acting as presented on a movie set in China. This isn’t posturing for business or political purposes. This is the real thing, the daily experiences of someone who is both inside and outside the culture – a Westerner not just viewing, but loving, living, sharing life in China with true friends. If you want to know what it’s really like to live, work, and travel in China, read this book...”

  -Patrick McManus

  “What a pleasant surprise to read a book of truth, honesty, and sensitivity combined with love and values all wrapped up into one. It tells a story of the human connection we all share, no matter what part of this little blue planet we live on. The author Carol Ann Nix held my interest as she educated me on our cultural differences and similarities. She reveals openly and freely her own vulnerability in experiencing a love relationship with a special tall, handsome, very traditional, honorable man, and emphasizes ’The fact that China is a Communist country does not compromise the good hearts of her people.’”

  -Carl J. Rossow

  “I enjoy Carol Ann’s writing style. She takes you on each of her adventures. OMG! I remember being safe at home in Indiana when I watched TV and saw the buried train in Inner Mongolia.”

  -Bob Mead

  SELECTED QUOTATIONS

  ~ I watched Yo step off the train at 6:00 a.m. I couldn’t have missed him even if he hadn’t been the only person on the plat-form early New Year’s morning and even if he hadn’t worn the red jacket his mama gave him. He was six feet tall and knockout handsome – by any country’s standards. He was mine for the next three days.

  ~ The howling blizzard was a monster pounding on our puny train car. I looked out the windows but saw nothing. They were opaque from ice and wind-driven snow. We were stranded in a remote and desolate part of North China. All fourteen hundred of us were defenseless. Only the windows and thin walls separated us from the fierce frosttt-breathing dragon outside.

  ~ It’s November and nippy, but there’s no heat in China. The government sets the “heat on” date in the fall and the “heat off” date in spring. We’re having a blue-lip cold spell. Americans would storm the White House if our government controlled thermostats. This is the first clear indication that I’m living in a Communist country.

  ~ How fortunate I am to be an insider and learn the way the Chinese think.

  ~ Anna forwarded a YouTube video. I replied, “Sweet Anna, I can’t open YouTube in China. It’s blocked. Facebook and Twitter too. It’s a Communist government thing.”

  ~ I am a seagull lost in a typhoon above a vast China sea. The elements tumble and toss me about. I’m learning not to have expectations. I’m learning to go with the flow as never before. I must live from moment to moment. It would be senseless and personally destructive to think or live any other way. I must be flexible – or snap.

  ~ I forged through a thick cloud of brown construction dust on my way to the bus. Three heavy-duty earth-moving machines kicked it up. Somehow the pesky particles penetrate my apartment and coat every flat surface. Everyone in Beijing inhales carcinogens. Some of us are more aware of it than others.

  ~ In class we continued watching Dances With Wolves. I recognize a strong parallel between the way John Dunbar became progressively more Indian throughout the movie and the way I am becoming progressively more Chinese in Beijing.

  ~ I have the apartment to myself. The silence that surrounds me is rich and golden. It is silence of alone, but not of lonely. It is silence that speaks volumes about peaceful solitude and personal reflection. Being single is good. Being alone is good. Being in Beijing is good. I am grateful for everything.

  ~ I am a star here. People stop and stare. Why? I’m an American.

  ~ I’m the right woman for Yo now, I thought. I’m certain of that. He will never again have an American best friend with my background, experience, and willingness to teach him everything I know. The future is the future. I will live in the now with Yo – and enjoy every moment – until his future doesn’t include me anymore – or until my future doesn’t include him.

  ~ This was serious stuff. My visa expired, so I was in China illegally. The police c
ould have arrested me. They could have booted me out of the country. As it turned out a nice Communist official extended my work visa until August and only gave Tony a verbal reprimand. I didn’t even have to pay a fine. Thank God, Mom, Dad, my Guardian Angel, and the kind Communist official for keeping me in Beijing. Lesson learned: Don’t miss deadlines!

  ~ Each of us must sift through everything we hear and read in life. We need to filter it through a fine screen comprised of our experience, intuition, common sense, inner knowledge, and wisdom. Only then do we have a chance of discerning the truth about anything.

  ~ A darling little Chinese girl, perhaps three years old, took baby steps toward us. She had a plump round face, black hair cropped just below the ears, and bangs cut straight across. When her body touched my knees she looked at me with sad eyes and held out her hand. “Ohmygosh, she’s begging,” I said.

  ~ A five-story indoor shopping mall opened near my apartment. I entered and, like Marco Polo, explored the riches of the Orient.

  ~ For the first time I realized the intensity of Yo’s traditional side. He wants to learn English, American culture, and American ways. He loves using the latest American slang and singing American rap songs. That’s cool, but he wants to live the traditional Chinese way. I must remember this, I thought.

  DRAGON HEARTS

  LOVE IN CHINA

  * * *

  CAROL ANN NIX

  Dragon Hearts: Love in China

  By Carol Ann Nix

  Second Edition

  Copyright © 2014 Carol Ann Nix

  ISBN : 978-1-63393-142-8

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Library of Congress Control Number (first edition): 2014911600 LCCN

  Published by

  210 60th Street

  Virginia Beach, VA 23451

  212-574-7939

  www.koehlerbooks.com

  In association with

  Eagle Tree Woman Productions

  Cover design: Kellie Emery, Koehler Studios

  Photos: Hou Zhixin

  www.carolannnix.com

  For Elizabeth M. Nix, my dear mother

  CONTENTS

  Foreword

  Preface

  Chapter 1: Settling In

  Chapter 2: Christmastime

  Chapter 3: Inner Mongolia Grassland

  Chapter 4: After the Blizzard

  Chapter 5: Yo’s English Lessons

  Chapter 6: An Overnight

  Chapter 7: Lush

  Chapter 8: Yo-day

  Chapter 9: Spring Festival

  Chapter 10: Jincheng

  About the Author

  Author’s Note

  Parting Thought

  FOREWORD

  Carol Ann Nix’s new book Dragon Hearts: Love in China will be published in the Year of the Sheep 2015. I am excited at its coming. The foundation for Carol’s book is her love for China and her fascination with Chinese culture. She writes from her own experience – from personal interactions with fellow-teachers, students, and ordinary Chinese people. I am eager to read Carol’s book, for it is sure to reflect her unique open-minded perspective on China and Chinese society.

  An American attorney and experienced university professor, Carol taught under my direction at the Graduate School of CAAS (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences) in Beijing. She taught English, American Culture, and Public Speaking to graduate students – soon-to-be agricultural scientists. It was during this 2012–2013 academic year that I witnessed her professionalism and love for students.

  Learning is a two-way street for Carol. She used her insight and broad-based life experience to help students better understand the English language, American culture, and Western thinking. Students, in turn, taught Carol about themselves and Chinese ways. I am impressed by Carol’s passionate desire to bridge the gap between our diverse cultures.

  In addition to teaching, Carol organized English Corner nighttime gatherings. English Corner is a voluntary after-class activity, a platform for students to meet one another and informally practice their English skills. In the casual setting Carol established, students felt free to openly express their ideas and opinions. I have seen a dozen pictures of Carol with students at English Corner, and everyone is wearing a smile.

  By socializing with students, Carol won their trust and love. They went beyond the typical arm’s-length teacher-student relationship to become true friends. As an example, students majoring in Tea Science showed their affection and respect by inviting Carol to attend their private traditional tea ceremonies. An avid tea drinker, she was thrilled to learn Chinese tea culture firsthand.

  Carol is a people-person. Her cheerfulness and positive energy influenced everyone she came in contact with. Her curiosity about Chinese society and culture sharpened her senses. It is always fresh eyes that notice a great abundance of novelty. Carol cares deeply about changes taking place in modern China and how they affect the well-being of Chinese people and the environment.

  I am gratified that Carol and I were colleagues at CAAS. She was not only a valuable professor and loving teacher, but also a cultural ambassador and my friend. I will read Dragon Hearts: Love in China with great interest.

  Pan Shumin

  Professor

  Director of Department of English

  Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

  Beijing, China

  June 2015

  PREFACE

  Dragon Hearts: Love in China is my true multifaceted love story. While in China I fell in love with a Chinese colleague, with my Chinese students and their rich culture, and with nearly every man, woman, and child in Beijing. The dragon swallowed me whole. My book is about hearts – Chinese hearts touching my heart, and my heart touching theirs. It focuses on many aspects of love and adventures in Beijing and Inner Mongolia. I hope my story helps you come to know these good people as I know them – and to love them as I love them. Americans and Chinese are so much more alike than different.

  As an insider I learned Chinese ways firsthand and pass them on to you via this book. My story takes you into the lives of young urban Chinese professionals in modern-day Beijing – a teeming city undergoing spectacular growth and renewal – an ancient city rapidly adapting to and adopting Western material culture. Americans will empathize with the new generation of young adults struggling for control over their lives with traditional old-world parents and extended relatives. The young ones want to choose their own spouses and careers, but the older generation trys to control the process. Pressure, stress, and guilt result for the twenty-and-thirty-somethings.

  Dragon Hearts: Love in China is the first in a series of books containing candid accounts of my life in China from 2009 through 2013. It contains my personal experiences and impressions as a university professor teaching Chinese undergraduate and graduate students in Beijing. I am honored they came to call me dear teacher – dear friend – and cultural ambassador.

  My heartfelt thanks to Yo, Wen Wen, and each and every one of my Chinese friends. You know who you are, and you are dear to my heart. Deep thanks to sweet Anna Schlemma, my American friend who personifies wholesome Midwestern values both in the book and in the flesh.

  A world of thanks to John Koehler, Leticia Gomez, and the other good people at Koehler Books. Thanks, Ann Paden and my old chum Tony Marando for your expertise. Philip Vaughn designed my website www.carolannnix.com. Love it, Philip! Gerald L. Hill is a member of the Bear Clan of the Oneida Nation and my longtime friend. Thank you, Wild River Bear, for teaching me the significance of Eagle and for honoring my connection with it.

  Thank you Sandy (Wang Na), Xia (Zhang Xia), and Doral Chenoweth for your all-out support. Special thanks to Sue, Kevin, and Ashley Holland – also t
o Janet and Dave Burke – my great friends and neighbors at home. If you hadn’t taken care of my cats and house, I would have missed China altogether. Lastly, thank you, mystical Muse of mine – and Mom.

  Carol Ann Nix

  Plymouth, Indiana

  June 2015

  1

  SETTLING IN

  Would I have touched toe in China had I foreseen being stranded on a train – in a blizzard – on the grassland of Inner Mongolia? Absolutely! Why? Because I was trapped with the most intriguing man in China. Let me begin my story with Anna who sent a bon voyage email while I was air-borne bound for Beijing.

  Email from Anna

  October 13, 2009

  Dear Carol – There you are – lawyer and university professor – on your way to teach graduate and undergraduate students in Beijing. Here I am – wife, mother, and grandmother – a happy American homebody. These are my callings. We are both Indiana women, but your wide wings wrap around the world. I’m proud of you and cheer you every step of the way. I’ll keep the Midwest home fires burning brightly for my adventurous friend. Follow your heart, make true friends, and enjoy a year of amazing experiences. xoxo anna

  Email from Carol

  October 30, 2009

  Sweet Anna,

  I am alive and well in Beijing. Been here over two weeks. My new Chinese students at Fanzhidu School are already dear to my heart. They are respectful, kind, and friendly. They’re quick to laugh and eager to learn. What teacher could ask for more? I am passionate about helping these young men and women fulfill their shared dream of attending Valparaiso University in the United States next fall. As my new students often say, “I will try my best.”

  My Chinese teacher colleagues are delightful. I hope they become lifelong friends. Every Friday is activity day at school. Last week we hiked up a rugged mountain north of Beijing. After the rigorous trek, we relaxed alongside a placid river, and students barbequed our lunch. I ate seaweed soup – one of what I know will be many culinary firsts. After returning to school, the male teachers and students played basketball. Our team beat a rival by fifty-five points. Yo gets credit for the lopsided victory. He is a tall, handsome teacher from Inner Mongolia, the northernmost region in China. His English name is Donald, but I call him Yo because Donald is too plain for him and because, for the life of me, I can’t pronounce his complicated Chinese name.