An Wei: From Chinese Peasant to Powerful Role Model
With determination, endurance and a clear set of values, An Wei has led a rich, complicated life that helped hundreds — maybe thousands — to improve their lives.
By Nancy Pine
In this second post about An Wei, an unlikely role model who never gave up his values and his determination despite massive difficulties, I’d like to share more of this unique man’s story.
He grew up in a poor village in the middle of China, worked hard to improve his abilities, became an interpreter for world leaders, and began a democratic congress in his village. Modern China provided him education, but also hard-hitting challenges that he confronted one after the other.
A week before he graduated from college where he studied English, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution to promote continuous class struggle. An Wei’s dreams vanished. No longer could he go to England to perfect English; no longer could he get a job. The Chinese leader demanded they remain at college and uncover “bad elements” in the administration and party. A hideous year followed, but An Wei learned how to hold onto his values and sidestep odious assignments.
