白岩松耶鲁大学演讲稿MyStoryandtheChineseDreamBehindItInthepasttwentyyears,ChinahasfacedthreeAmericanpresidents,buttillcomingtoYaletoday,IneverrealizedthatChinareallyjustfacedoneuniversity.Although,throughthesethreepresidents,IunderstandthatthequalityofYalegraduatesisnotsoeven.Letmebeginmymainsubjectandletmegiveitatitle,called“MyStoryandtheChineseDreamBehindIt”.Iwanttotalkaboutfiveparticularyears.Thefirstis1968.ThatyearIwasborn.Butitwasalsoachaoticyearfortheworld.InFrance,therewasthishugestreetdisturbance,andinAmerica,too.ThenPresidentKennedywasassassinated.However,Ireallydidnotcauseallofthese!ButthatyearwhatweremembermorewastheassassinationofMr.MartinLutherKing.Althoughhefellthatyear,hiswords“Ihaveadream”stoodup,notonlystoodupinAmerica,butacrossthewholeworld.Butsadly,notonlyforme,butforalmostallChinese,wedidnotknowsuchadream.ItwashardtodescribeeachChineseashavinghisorherowndream.ChinaandAmericaweresofarapart,nolessfarapartthantheMoonandtheEarth.ButIdidn’tcareaboutanyofthat.AllIcaredaboutwascouldIhaveafullmeal.Clearly,Iwasbornataveryinconvenienttime,notonlyforChina,butevenfortheworld,therewereproblems.In1978,tenyearslater,Iwas10.Istilllivedintheverylittlecitythathadonly200thousandpeopleatthetimeIwasborn.Itwas2000kmfromBeijing.IfyouwantedtoreadthenewspaperfromBeijing,youwaitedthreedays.Soforus,therewasnosuchthingasnews.Thatyearmygrandfatherpassedaway.Twoyearsbeforethatmyfatherpassedaway.Sotherewasjustmymotherlefttotakecareofmeandmybrother.Hermonthlysalarywasnoteventendollars.Asaresult,eventhoughIwas10,theword“dream”wasstillnotinmyvocabulary,andIwouldneverthinkofit.Icouldnotseehopeinthisfamily,butonlyfeltbittercoldeverywinter.WherewelivedwasclosetotheSovietUnion.Yetthe1978inwhichIcouldnotseehopewasalsotheyearthatahugechangetookplace,whetherforChinaorfortherelationshipbetweenChinaandAmerica.Thatisadatethateverybodyheretodayshouldremember.December16,1978,ChinaandAmericaofficiallyestablisheddiplomaticrelations.Thatwasabigevent.Andtwodaysafterthat,December18waswhenChinaopenedthe3rdPlenarySessionoftheEleventhCPCCentralCommittee.Thatwasthebeginningofthirty-oneyearsofReformandOpening.History,twogreatnations,andaverypitifulfamilyallbecameintertwinedinatheatricalway.Truthfully,fromthesmallpersonalfamily,tothebigfamilyofthecountry,nobodythenhadanyideawhatthefuturewouldbelike.In1988,Iwas20.AtthistimeIhadalreadycomeoutofthelittlebordertowntoBeijingasauniversitystudent.AlthoughwehavemanypeopleinChinatodaycriticizingChina’suniversityentranceexamsandseemanymanydeficienciesinit,itmustbesaidthatitissuchasystemthatallowedveryordinarypeoplelikemetohavetheopportunitytochangeourlives.Ofcourse,atthattime,Americawasnolongeraverydistantcountry.Itbecameveryspecific.Itwasnolongerthe“ImperialistAmerica”ofthepastslogans,butitbecamethemanydetailsinourlives.ThiswasthefirsttimethatItastedCoca-Cola.WhenIfinisheddrinkingitIbelievedChinaandAmericaweretrulysoclose,becauseittastedjustlikeChinesemedicine.ThatwasatimewhenItookacrazylikingtorock’n'roll.ThatwasatimewhenMichaelJacksonstilllookedrelativelyhandsome.Moreimportantly,thatwasatimewhenChinaexperiencedverybigtransformations,asReformandOpeninghadalreadygoneonfortenyears.Thatyear,Chinabeganexperimentingwithmarketpricingformanygoods.Itmayfeellikesomethingtotallyincomprehensibletoyou,butitwasabigdealinChina,ahugestep,becausebeforethatthepriceswere...
