Preface
We Make Our Own Path
Steve Tsai, founder of the United Pacific Hotel Group
I have experienced many things in my life: Some difficult and some complicated, but I overcame them one by one. Thinking back, I sometimes ask myself: Who am I? Where did I find the strength to face these challenges?
I think this strength mainly comes from four sources:
First, I learned a great deal from my parents. My father died suddenly at age 49. I was nine years old at the time. I remember the shock that reverberated through our community at his death, and the sudden outpouring of public grief. It impressed on me that a person's contribution to society extends beyond his own lifetime. Although my parents’ lives were unfortunately short, they lived well and left a lasting legacy. In contrast, a mediocre person lives and dies quietly. Even if one is not blessed to live to one hundred years old, those who take responsibility for the well-being of their community will surely enjoy a full and meaningful life.
Although my parents left me long ago, my father's compassion and enthusiasm for public welfare, and my mother's virtues of diligence, thrift and knowledge have always stayed with me. Their virtues and good deeds continue to flourish in the world through my own life.
The second source of my strength comes from my religious faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I came to Christianity at the age of thirteen at the century-old Quanzhou Puyuan Middle School, turning from Buddhism to a new faith. But at the time, I considered myself unworthy to call myself a Christian, and refused to accept baptism in part because I had not been able to give up cigarettes. I would often sneak outside to smoke and kept this habit up through the 1970s. Finally, I confessed this "sin" to Pastor Ye Wen-yuan in San Francisco. He laughed and said, "Smoking is a bad habit, but it's certainly not a sin in the eyes of the Lord." He told me, "Being a believer takes a different kind of discipline. Let me baptize you, and I have confidence that you'll be a good believer, even if you continue to smoke."
Thus, that Sunday, after believing for more than 40 years, I finally became the last person in my family to be baptized, and gave up this unhealthy habit I'd had for over half a century.
In my family, our children and grandchildren are enthusiastic churchgoers, and their faith moves past the church doors and into greater society. My faith has grown in my heart, driven by love of family, country and humanity. When facing any difficulties, I put my trust in the omnipotent and omnipresent creator of the universe. This faith brings a vibrant confidence into my life, creates harmony in my family, and gives us invincible strength. If you ask me how to face difficulties in life, I will say: Do everything you can, and leave the ultimate outcome to God.
Third, I have drawn inspiration from my study of classic literature. In my teens, I had to drop out of school due to the war, but my desire for knowledge remained undiminished. After the war, I read all the books I could find. I also took copious notes on my readings and submitted book reviews to newspapers. I found new books at friends' houses, but sometimes they were reluctant to let me take them. I'd occasionally resort to "borrowing" these books, and quickly take copious notes before returning them with apologies. I took absolution from the words of Lu Xun: "Books taken by a scholar should not be seen as stolen."
My favorite book at the time was Ba Jin's Torrents Trilogy: Home, Spring, and Autumn. Sometimes I imagined myself as the protagonist, Juehui. Decades later, I traveled to Shanghai, hoping to meet and learn from Ba Jin, but at the time, he was recuperating from illness in the hospital and couldn't be disturbed.
The preface to Ba Jin's Torrents Trilogy includes the following passage:
"Some people say that there is no road at first, but rather a road gradually emerges through the footsteps of travelers. Others say the road exists from the steps of that first traveler. It is not for me to judge right and wrong. I am still young; I have to live, to conquer life. I know that the torrent of life will never stop. I will see where it takes me!"
I copied this passage out with a calligraphy brush, and then framed it and hung it on my wall where I would read it every day.
"I want to conquer life." "The torrent of life will never stop." When I look back, these words now remind me of my youthful struggle and vision for the future.
Wang Rensheng was once the general manager of my factory and is now known as the "King of Henan". When he was preparing his own memoir, he asked me to suggest a title. Thinking of Ba Jin, I replied, "We Make Our Own Path," and he took this as the title for his book. Had he not, I might have used it as the title for my own book.
I was also an avid reader of Lu Xun's essays. Although these could be a bit difficult to understand, he shone a light on mendacity and his prose was full of passion. I was young and wanted to transform society, and I found these sentiments deeply appealing. As I grew older, I came to better understand objective criticism, to better appreciate underlying causes and effects, and developed a deeper appreciation for more moderate characters. Over time, my devotion to Lu Xun gradually faded.
Upon returning to the mainland for the first time, I took my wife and children to Suzhou to visit the Hanshan Temple. This temple has achieved worldwide fame because of the poetry of the Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ji. Situated outside Gusu City, the Hanshan Temple attracts countless Chinese and foreign tourists and is particularly popular with Japanese worshippers. The temple has a powerful cultural impact that travels through time and space.
In the past, when I was in Mainland China, I worked as a teacher, a freelance writer, a newspaper editor and later as editor-in-chief. I never intended to go into business. When I first arrived in Taiwan, I first served as the editor-in-chief of a publishing house and wrote "A New Free China." I served as the Taiwan correspondent to a Philippine overseas Chinese newspaper, mostly focusing on cultural and educational work. I encouraged overseas Chinese in the Philippines to actively invest in Taiwan. They felt I had a strong understanding of Taiwan and sought my advice on many investment projects. These discussions gradually brought me into the world of business. However, having grown up steeped in Confucian culture, care for the nation and society were never far from my heart.
Whenever I had the opportunity to write an article or give a speech, I would emphasize the social responsibility of entrepreneurs.
Mencius said: "We are born in sorrow and die in peace." The educator Tao Hsing-chih said: "Life is education, and society is a school." These words inspired me to make the most of my learning and to choose my own path in life."
The fourth source of my strength has been the help from my beloved friends. If you deal with others with sincerity, then all men are your brothers. Friends relieve loneliness and make life more colorful. When facing adversity, one must first count on oneself, and then appeal to friends for help. I've known two kinds of close friends: the wise ones who offer sage advice, and the bold ones who bring great strength to bear. Friends can offer both spiritual encouragement and practical assistance, providing solutions that turn adversity into prosperity. Friends are also an important source of strength in life.
These four influences have deeply affected my outlook on life and have given me great strength to face various difficult and complex challenges.
Let me turn to how we achieve self-cultivation, contentment, joy, and health. To be healthy, we must maintain joy, and to be joyful we must maintain a mentality of contentment. To put it more plainly: Spend more time eating sweet potatoes and less time dreaming.
As the Chinese linguist Mr. Ji Hsien-lin said: Don’t tell only lies, but also don’t only tell the whole truth. Throughout my life, I have constantly improved my values in terms of "being what people need," which led me to realize that "to help others is actually to help oneself, and showing respect is the key to being respected."
Opportunities to help others come along by chance. But helping others is actually helping oneself and going out of one's way to benefit others ultimately comes back to you.
I do not see old age as a "magnificent sunset just before dusk". I hope to live to be quite old, and to always live with grace and vigor.
Who am I? This year, I'm 90 years old, and my life is gradually entering the evening stage. Looking back on the past, my happiness has been based on the feeling of being "needed," and this will always be my nature.
Steve Tsai
June 2014
