THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504210275
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close-Up
SOURCE: Phyllis Speidell
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
WANG WEI may soon consider Tidewater Community College his home away from home.
A native of Beijing, China, Wang is an associate professor of English at Beijing Broadcasting Institute. After coming to TCC as a visiting professor for the spring 1993 semester, Wang has returned as the first Fulbright Scholar in Residence to be named to a Virginia community college.
A former journalist and translator who survived China's cultural revolution and political upheavals, Wang has been around the world serving as a translator for Palestinian guerrillas in the Middle East, working with the NBC news team accompanying Richard Nixon on his 1972 tour of China, and trading small talk with Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters.
``At that time, China was so isolated that I had no idea who Walter Cronkite was,'' Wang remembered. ``If I had known he was so famous, I would have liked to talk to him more.''
As a Fulbright Scholar, Wang is teaching on all three TCC campuses this semester, talking to local civic and business organizations and interacting with the Portsmouth international magnet high school program.
What brought you to Suffolk Being named a Fulbright Scholar in Residence for Tidewater Community College for the spring semester.
Hometown - Beijing, China
Nickname - none
Occupation - teacher, journalist, translator
Birthdate - Feb. 25, 1943
Marital Status - married
Children - one daughter, Wang Pei, 16
Favorite magazine - ``Newsweek,'' and ``Economist", a British publication
Favorite movie - ``The Dreams in the Red Mansion,'' an operatic movie based on a classic Chinese novel. Banned by the Chinese government in 1964, the film only recently reappeared in Chinese theaters.
A book I wish everyone would read - A trilogy, ``Family,'' "Spring,'' "Autumn,'' by Bai Jin, a contemporary Chinese author who reflects the changes in China's feudal society in the story of one family.
Favorite night on the town - In Beijing, I like to listen to classical music and then take a quiet walk while my wife goes shopping.
Favorite restaurant - In Hampton Roads, the Old Country Buffet because the food is all so new to me.
Favorite food and drink - seafood and Chinese tea
Few people know that - although people may see me as a bookworm, I am really a big sports fan with a strong interest in boxing and soccer. For 10 years I was a Lakers' fan and now I am very interested in watching Michael Jordan's return to basketball.
What is the best thing about yourself - I am very skillful in intellectual things, with a special ability in using the English language.
Worst habit - My wife can probably tell you about that.
First thing in the morning - Breakfast, then a walk, and then reading academic books.
Pets - none
Hobbies - music, watching sports, and playing ping pong
Ideal vacation - a beautiful, secluded place with mountains, trees, and fresh air far from the city
Pet peeve - gossip and hypocritical people
First job - English teacher
Worst job - digging ditches in a Chinese government re-education camp to which academics and intellectuals were sent to perform manual labor
What job other than your own would you like to have - a singer of serious music
What achievements are you most proud of - My work as a translator for various international television teams
What would you like on your epitaph - a difficult question. Until recently, Chinese were cremated, and there were no such things as tombstones. In the last few years, people have begun burying funeral urns in small graves, marked with an identifying stone tablet, but no epitaph. But I would like to be remembered as an educator and a caring father. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
by CNB