Change of mind

Chu Yu, a rich businessman and adventurer, leads a peaceful life on a mountain in suburban Beijing, but he hopes to revolutionize the way Chinese people think. Wang Ru reports

Few Chinese know the name Joseph Needham (1900-95), but many are familiar with the British sinologist's Chinese name Li Yuese, and the "Needham Question": Why was China overtaken by the West in science and technology, despite its ancient successes?

A little-known businessman named Chu Yu recently offered some suggestions in his hugely controversial book, Criticism of the Chinese People's Thinking.

"Chinese people have fundamental problems in thinking that eventually led to blindness and setbacks," Chu writes.

Vagueness, disorder and rigidity are characteristic of Chinese thinking, he says, while rationality and logic gave Western civilizations advantages in understanding the world and exploiting it.

The book has sold some 20,000 copies in just a few months. While some scholars have praised the book as a timely inspiration, others have picked fault with Chu for his mistakes in understanding Chinese culture and oversimplified conclusions.

"I hope my readers will be inspired to follow a right way of thinking and thus make our nation stronger," Chu says in his spacious courtyard hidden in the densely wooded Xishan Mountains near the Summer Palace in Beijing.

Miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the courtyard takes in a stunning view of the capital. The 58-year-old self-proclaimed "Xishan Idler" often entertains friends behind an ancient wooden door, while Tibetan mastiffs bark in their cages. Deer and goats roam the courtyard, and a cat stretches under the shade of greenery.

A most recent guest was a Swedish painter who, being drunk one night, tried to kiss one of the six Tibetan mastiffs and was bitten.

"I would never take such a risk," Chu laughs, savoring a fresh batch of green tea and organic vegetables, the latter coming from his big farm in Mentougou district.

Chu likes driving his Hummer, with friends of an auto club or by himself, to venture into remote and desolate areas. Three years ago, a serious accident in Tibet almost took his life, but his longing for wildness and extreme experiences will remain until he dies, he says.

He gave up a journey to Siberia last winter in order to write the book.

"I was looking forward to the extreme frozen weather there. Maybe I could find the lost Kolchak's Gold," he smiles.

Like many of the country's nouveau rich, Chu displays his trophies in a big meeting hall: antique vases, huge pieces of jade and publications on the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

In those turbulent years, Chu was jailed five times as an "anti-revolutionary".

"Without those tough experiences, I wouldn't have succeeded," Chu says. "My only regret is that I didn't have a woman until I was 30."

Though the notes he took in those turbulent years were lost or burnt by himself, he doesn't want to let go of the memory.

In 2007, Chu spent 7 million yuan ($1.03 million) on an airplane engine, because it is said that former Chinese leader Lin Biao was on this plane, which crashed in Mongolia in 1971.

Chu exhibits it in his courtyard. "Someday, if they need it, I will donate it to the government," he says.

The Hunan native is a big admirer of a compatriot from his hometown - Chairman Mao Zedong. Statues and pictures of Mao take up prominent places in his meeting room.

Chu, a self-taught man, was among the first batch of students to attend university after the national college entrance exam was restored at the end of the "cultural revolution".

The smart young man saw the opportunities while most of his coworkers at a State-owned factory complained about the declining production in the early 1980s.

The talented engineer sold his patents to enterprises and his fortune grew. In 1985, Chu founded his own company.

Now, Chu has many successful investments in high-end real estate, dozens of mines across the country, as well as media and arts.

The main reason for his success is his way of thinking, Chu says.

Besides traveling, he enjoys reading and watching the Discovery Channel and programs on military technology.

This year, while writing his book, Chu also designed a submarine and drew all the blueprints himself. He sent the paper to military authorities and promised to fund the first prototype.

Having been through the ups and downs of life, Chu is interested in exploring the mindset of Chinese people. He believes China is a great nation but that it needs to change the way of thinking.

He says that most people he meets, from any social strata, lack logic and clear ideas.

Chu says that the education system is killing the talent and creativity of young people, and believes that changes in the way people think begins with education.

At the end of his book, Chu quotes German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: "Of all writings I love only that which is written with blood. Write with blood: and you will discover that blood is spirit."

(China Daily 08/16/2010 page22)