I just stumbled upon this email, which I sent home on November 17, 2006.  I think it still stands true. Enjoy!

Yeah, you read that right.

I just watched Forrest Gump (a one-dollar bootleg DVD, of course) and now I understand why it was so popular here.  One of my teaching colleagues even chose “Forrest” as his English name.  This character perfectly embodies Chinese ideals.  Let me count the ways…

1. He takes his sergeant’s directions very seriously, just like my students follow their dorm rules with respectful obsession, and humbly apologize when they enter my class late.

2. He excels at ping-pong and running, sports which require attention to detail and constant diligence.  China has produced world champions in both of these sports.

3. He remembers what his mother taught him, word for word: “Momma always said, ‘Stupid is as stupid does.'”  “Momma always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates.'”  I sometimes hear my Chinese friends quoting their parents in similar ways, though our generation is bucking tradition more than ever.

4. An only child, Forrest is unfailingly loyal to his momma, Bubba, Lieutenant Dan, Jenny, and Forrest Jr.  He shows this loyalty in material ways, such as when he presents Bubba’s mom with half the Bubba Gump Shrimpin’ Co.’s profits.

5. He became a millionaire by sticking to his promises (in this case, keeping his word to his late buddy Bubba.)  He did this by following what he knows, without having to think outside the box.

6. When Forrest runs across the country, reporters ask him “WHY?”  He doesn’t give them a reason, he just keeps running.  This is so typically Chinese.  My students look at me like I am from another planet when I ask them why.  My friend Sarah says that the Chinese are not accustomed to asking why, because they do not want to lose face. The Chinese language does not even have a single dedicated word for “why.” The translation is 为什么 which word-for-word could be “for what,” “be what” or “act as what.”

You may be thinking I’m crazy for reading into a movie so much.  I do this for almost every DVD I watch and every book I read.  I think that being in China makes everything more intense.  I usually watch these DVDs alone, and I have plenty of time and space for contemplation. Also, I believe that official Chinese culture tries to simplify things as much as possible, and therefore my mind is rebelling against this tendency.  (A random example of this enforced simplifying: China has only one time zone.  It is the same time here as it is in Xinjiang province, which borders Kazakhstan.  I’ve been unable to find that obscure Borat film in my local DVD stores, but I bet they’ll have it in a matter of days.  Things happen quickly here.)