"If one day we can think on the same wavelength, then we can resolve differences without having to use force," said Wang.

He has noticed that in China social values have become more and more material-oriented and his hope is that China gradually moves away from that direction.

"Generally speaking, the world needs more people to think about public service," said Wang. "I would evaluate a society by whether the society has compassion or not. The more civilized the society becomes, the more people care for each other, for the weak and for disadvantaged groups."

In between his different postings in China, Wang represented the US in other regions in Asia, including Singapore and Taiwan. He also once served as Cambodian desk officer at the State Department.

"It is such a wonderful career in terms of learning things, especially from being in the field in different countries," said Wang, who still remembers vividly the delight of travel from his childhood when his father would take the family to outings around Manila, the capital of The Philippines where Wang was born.

Wang has kept at his bedside throughout his foreign assignment the letters his father wrote to him during his university years, encouraging him to stick to his ideals and make a difference.

Wang said his academic training indeed enables him to think more critically and in a broader perspective about what the government was doing.

"Even when I did not agree with what we were doing, I at the very least could try to change it from within and make sure Washington was getting the right information from the field, which would hopefully lead to making better decisions," said Wang, who spent one year as visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), one of the top think tanks in Washington.

Wang later compiled his father's letters, along with the poems he wrote in memory of his father, who passed away in 1979, into a book, titled Fuqin de Jiashu (Letters from My Father), which was published in Taiwan. In it he writes that those letters still bring tears to his eyes whenever he reads them.

In the letters, Wang's father always encouraged his pursuits in political science and encouraged him to practice if he ever got the chance. Looking back now, Wang feels his going into the Foreign Service was indeed partially due to his father's influence. Wang hopes his father's advice in the book will benefit other readers as well.

After so many years in the field, Wang said he is now ready to go back to teaching and even writing.

"When I came in, I wanted to know how things worked. After so many years, I cannot say how things work, but I at least have a feel for it, for what works or doesn't work," said Wang.

"What I would really enjoy doing is not only to think different thoughts but also to express them in an independent fashion," he added.

The key principle Wang said he would like to profess is the ideal of public service.

"That is extremely important to me personally. Doing something not just for yourself, but to make a difference in others' lives," he said. "Not just make money or have a successful career but really do something that helps other people."

charlenecai@chinadailyusa.com