Professor Wang, who has experience studying in Japan, spoke in fluent Japanese on the topic of “Thinking About Oneself,” describing his life so far to the students in the audience.

Professor Wang talked about how he was conscripted into the military as soon as he reached high school age, so was unable to go to high school. As a result, he pursued his studies himself so he could go to university. As a university student, he benefitted from the reform and openness policy and was able to spend his university years engaged in productive research. Later, he became a teacher in Xi’an and spent the next 34 years teaching. He recalled that while studying in Japan, he encountered NGO activities in the context of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and ever since then, he has devoted his time to the study of NGOs. He analyzed himself and described a sense of curiosity, staying power and powers of persuasion as his reasons for being able to continue researching NGOs for more than twenty years, keep studying and working even in difficult and uncertain times, make 147 policy proposals in 15 years, and be involved in legal system reforms. He said that perpetual curiosity, unlimited staying power, and strong powers of persuasion are the keys to a good life.

Professor Wang’s talk about continuing to study and research with one’s eyes on the future, in the midst of changes in political circumstances like the Cultural Revolution and the reform and openness policy, was extremely interesting and had the students listening intently.