Accidental Socrates
BEIJING – No one knew where he came from. One minute my classmates were sitting alone in their private sleeper compartment on a train bound for Nanjing, the next, they were visited by a middle-aged Chinese businessman who barged in, intent on grilling them about their political beliefs. An hour passed. Even after they all left to explore the rest of the train, the man stayed put, ambushing passersby with challenges to the Electoral College. As I passed by what unofficially became his cabin, he poked his head out the door and asked me about America’s financial crisis. It’s a popular topic in China, but for a very different reason. People always ask me about America’s banks with a barely reserved glee, the way a bitter guy might inquire as to an ex-girlfriend’s current boyfriend who was recently arrested.
