"我三人行，必得我师焉" - 可是我得仔细挑我的两名同伴！For a long time we in the West have been told that the United States is the sole and best repository of knowledge of how to organize a society that can successfully make its way through the world. But lately I've come to deeply question such an assertion. (Especially now that I've had to live in a country ruled by a chump like Trump and a political party like the Rethuglicans!) It seems to me that we in the West are receiving a distorted view of the world, and especially of China. For a long time therefore I have wanted to get out of the country for a bit in order to see the world with my own eyes from a different perspective. And for a long time China has appealed to me as an especially interesting place to check out - first, because over the last century or so it has successfully freed itself from Western colonialism, and secondly, because it seems to me to be among the wisest nations in its adaptations and preparations for passing through the challenges of the 21st century.
A perfect opportunity came up last month, when the International Conference on Power and Renewable Energy (ICPRE), a subsidiary of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), held their 11th International Conference in Shanghai. I first heard about the conference back in July and immediately decided to sign up. Then I was slightly misled by some American acquaintances of mine who told me that I would not need a visa as long as I stayed for ten days or less. It turns out that that was only partially true. When I asked more knowledgeable people about the travel process, I was informed that yes, I actually did need both a passport and a visa. Fortunately I already had the passport, so I worked on obtaining a 10 year tourist visa which I received before the end of August. After that came the frenzied process of catching up on work, arranging a pet sitting service, making sure I had a room in the hotel where the conference was held, and buying plane tickets. Then came the night on which I boarded a China Air Lines wide-body jet for a 13 hour flight from the U.S. West Coast to Taipei, then from Taipei to Shanghai. (Note to anyone who reads this: if you're older than 40, and if you don't want to torture yourself, don't try flying all the way in economy class!)
My first hours in Shanghai contained some funny moments, and some not-so-funny moments. One of the funny moments came when I went through the security check procedure for new arrivals at the Shanghai Pudong Airport. I was wearing a T-shirt which I had had printed in the U.S. with the following quote:
将欲歙之，必固张之；将欲弱之，必固强之；将欲废之，必固兴之；将欲夺之，必固与之。
When one of the security personnel saw my shirt, he laughed and nudged his female co-worker, pointing at my shirt. He asked in English, "Sir, do you know what that means?" I said, "I do indeed! If you want to shrink something, you must first expand it..." Another funny time came when I was riding in a taxi from the airport to the hotel. The taxi driver (a truly colorful character) offered me a cigarette during the ride, forcing me to find a way to say 对不起，我不抽烟。When he asked “为什么？” I pieced together a reply that ran something like “因为我想生活很多年。。。” He pulled out his phone (which contained a voice translation app) and engaged me in a wide-ranging philosophical discussion until we got to the hotel. However, I never took the taxi again while I was there, as the ride from the airport had cost me 400元. The part that wasn't so funny was my own fault. While I was at the airport I went to an ATM to withdraw some ready cash and forgot to take my bank card with me once I had received the cash. That led to several panicked hours on my part until my Chinese friends in Shanghai taught me to use a couple of phone apps for payment. Thus I found that in Shanghai, people very rarely use cash. Instead, WeChat and Alipay are used for the majority of transactions. (By the way, I got my card back. The ATM operators found it and held it for me until I could retrieve it. Imagine what would have happened if I had lost it while traveling in the USA!)
Now to the conference. This conference provided me with an overview of what I would call China's "operational philosophy" concerning microgrids, modernization of grid transmission, and integration of renewables into the power grid. I won't get into fine details here and now, but suffice it to say that a lot of the research presented provided me with ideas for my own engineering practice here in the U.S. Of course, the presenters occupied a position close to the cutting edge of theory, whereas I am several steps removed from that cutting edge. However, what often happens is that theoretical insights are turned into building codes and manufactured hardware, and it's good for day-to-day practitioners to understand the sorts of changes that may be coming to their particular fields of practice due to advances in theory.
As for the subject of academic and professional conferences in general, the United States under Trump has been playing a rather stupid, racist, white supremacist game in its attempt to restrict access to academic knowledge. I have heard credible reports over the last eighteen months of academics from a number of nations who have been denied permission to enter the U.S. to attend conferences in which the exchange of valuable scientific and technical knowledge might benefit those nations. China, on the other hand, has a robust schedule of academic conferences in 2026 and is planning similarly rich offerings in 2027. And the process of obtaining a visa from China is far, far simpler and easier than the process in the U.S. has become. China therefore, in concert with other nations of the Global South, is building a robust set of parallel institutions in the international sphere for the sharing of cutting-edge knowledge. At the ICPRE conference I attended I saw people, both listeners (like myself) and presenters, from a wide range of nations. The building of parallel institutions among historically marginalized nations has the power to turn the Unites States itself into an irrelevant bouncing ball. This can begin in the academic arena. If the U.S. wants to be like a six or seven year old brat shouting at the neighborhood kids, "I have a brand new toy! And you can't play with it!", this nation may be surprised to find that the other kids have found other ways to be happy besides playing with that particular toy.
One other case in point regarding the sharing of knowledge: during September, Shanghai hosted the 48th annual WorldSkills Competition. The WorldSkills organization has existed since the early 1950's and was formed initially in order to promote economic growth in the nations of Western Europe whose economies had been damaged or wrecked by World War 2. The WorldSkills organizers saw that one of the keys to recovery was the development of a highly skilled workforce in the nations which had been so damaged, and this development of skills has become the mission of the WorldSkills organization. As the name of the organization indicates, the organizers have expanded this mission to the entire world. Unfortunately, I had to leave for the U.S. the day before the competition began, so I didn't get to see any of it directly. But one of my Shanghai friends sent me a couple of video clips via WeChat. WorldSkills is one of those examples of soft power which arises from genuine hospitality and decency toward all of the world's peoples.
Lastly, I want to note my observations of a couple of publicly-funded fixtures of Shanghai. First, there's the library system. Shanghai has two world-class libraries of the sort one would find at an R1 research university. However, these libraries are entirely public, and hence open to the public. I spent several hours wandering the stacks and aisles of both of them. (Also I got my own Shanghai Public Library card...) A heavenly experience it was - even though my Chinese is so weak that I couldn't read most of the books! What a contrast to many cities in the U.S., in which Rethuglican/conservative governments have slashed funding for public libraries. Then there was the Shanghai subway system. It did not take long for me to figure out how to use it, due in part to the fact that all of the subway signs are bilingual. The Shanghai subway removes a great deal of stress from commuting, and is a vital part of getting around, due to the congestion which clogs Shanghai's streets and high-speed highways on a regular basis. I am reminded of an American policy paper I recently saw titled, "Public transit delivers large gains for the local economy." Shanghai has taken this lesson on board, as it is preparing to expand its commuter rail network even more. Too bad that when I returned to the U.S., I found out that local governments where I live are cutting funding and service for TriMet, which for a long time was a shining light and example of public transit in the United States.
Anyway, now that I'm back in the USA, I can hardly wait until next year, when I hope to return to China, God willing, for another academic conference. 再见！
我爱上海！我想回来！
