America

"Although Chinese people believed that in America the only way forward was teaching and research, who said I could not be a pioneer and blaze another trail? After rejecting transferring to another school for a PhD, the remaining choice—for me the only choice—was: to find a job."

"In 1949, the United States stood at the pinnacle of prestige and authority. Only four years had passed since the end of World War II; it was the most important victorious nation, and also the only country whose homeland had not been destroyed during the war. Militarily, America’s army, navy, and air force had already displayed their might across battlefields around the world during the war, and it was also the only country to possess the atomic bomb. Economically, although its population accounted for only 5% of the world, its gross national product accounted for 40% of the world’s total. The standard of living of the American people at that time was unmatched by any other country: a U.S. worker’s wages for a few months could buy a car, and in two or three years could buy a house. Almost every household had a refrigerator and a washing machine, and many families were also purchasing the rapidly emerging television sets of that era. Employment among married women was still not common, so most families had only one working person, yet even a single salary could enable the whole family to enjoy a fairly comfortable material life."