Only the old Chairman seemed to understand. He had a warm paternal smile that made Wan feel loved.

Wan knew not to expect good news, and knowing his weakness for showing his emotions, Wan rehearsed endlessly for the week before the meeting how he would smile and thank the Dean for his wise guidance even though Wan knew he was sunk.

THE GREAT MARCH BY CHARLES LOWE 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 18

Wan wore a brown thinly threaded suit and sat on a couch with his hands loosely clenched together. On the wall was a poster of Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, and Mao Zedong, the three heroes of the revolution surrounded by soldiers, knee deep in the snows of Yan’an.

Wan wondered whether the Dean had purposely installed a couch without springs because he thought that the natural position of a subordinate was scrunched up on his knees. In any case, Wan listened politely as the Dean listed the student complaints.

“The gentleman does not seem to care whether we learn.”

“The gentleman is learned but is unable to speak in a complete sentence.”

“The gentleman teaches us whatever he wants to teach us and does not tea…