Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.
Lin Yutang
The work of Chinese author and scholar Lin Yutang often acted as a cultural bridge in the early 20th century. He founded several Western-style satire magazines in Chinese, and in 1935 topped the “New York Times” bestseller list with “My Country and My People,” his English-language book on China. During the Sino-Japanese war in the 1930s, Lin also wrote social and political columns calling for international aid on behalf of the Chinese people. His words above match his trailblazing career, and remind us that not every road is laid out for us: We have to believe we can move forward together before taking the first step.
