Thorny Road to Dignity

The author had a strong bond with American establishments, where he had all his education in China before 1949 revolution. This cost him an enduring ordeal as he had been ostracized into countryside to embark on primary farming labor and health services. Firmly believing his fate would change after Mao, he never ceased preparing for just that by learning foreign languages and new medical developments in countryside. Surely enough he had it after Mao’s death when he resumed teaching job in a medical school, where he often served the English interpreter for American visiting professors. Surprised by his fluency in English and updated medical knowledge, they sponsored him to visit America as he had dreamed. But a miracle burst out. Dr. Liu passed the medical licensure exam at one shot right following his arrival. After experiencing a host of cultural shocks and retraining he settled in well and proved himself not only a competent psychiatrist, board certified, but also a successful bilingual literary writer. How come? Dr. Liu acknowledges his family, especially his wife, had given him unlimited strength to endure the hardest time, as depicted in his touching poem on an elegant scroll shown on the book cover.