My parents’ alma mater, and somehow it's my first time here. I jokingly call it China’s MIT, but in my parents’ time, the acceptance rates of universities made med school seem like a guarantee.
I'm following my father past this path of trees, and nostalgia of that which I've never witnessed is hitting me hard. I imagine my parents on this campus, so many years ago. My mother held her head high, the first woman in this province to go to college. She was a chemical engineer, one of three female science majors in the entire school. I got her work ethic, and I hope I inherited her fierceness.
My father had less gray hair back then, but I can't imagine why. He was growing his food in the fields, forced to the farms for reeducation during the culture revolution. He stood up all night to study so he wouldn't fall asleep and aced his entrance exams.
The reason is this guy. The campus has one of few remaining statues of Chairman Mao. He stands tall in front of their main building, the center of their campus, the center of their world.
I can't believe I didn't come here sooner. It's a glimpse into the past, the same nostalgia mixed with excitement that I get when I see Duke's chapel in the distance. I still can't imagine what life was like for my parents back then, but I'm glad I got a peek.
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