Pierre Trudeau's Preamble to "Two Innocents in China"

Trudeau's opening chapter is marvelously funny and provides with sharp wit the reasons for their trip to China. He starts by reminding the reader of the prejudices that exist towards Asian culture - the mystical Chinaman, the treacherous Chinaman, the goofy Chinaman. In his estimation, the West's racist attitudes are not just prevalent in elementary-school classrooms and schoolyards, but in higher academics and the political arena as well. As in the note regarding the English translation, he provides full recognition of the controversy surrounding the planned trip, but dismisses it with the casual confidence that would come to define his time as Prime Minister. He also goes into the Red-baiting antics of certain Western demagogues, and relates the democracies' fear of China to their underestimation of the Soviets leading up to the launch of Sputnik. I was very impressed by Trudeau's fearlessness and his compassion towards a country that was considered an enemy of his nation. It's a quality that crops up later in life for Trudeau, when he becomes close personal friends with Fidel Castro - I imagine we'll see more of that in his encounters with Mao.