这篇文章是美国知名华人城市规划设计师，美国百人会成员，卢伟民先生在2014年明尼苏达美中联谊会年会上的讲话。 文中谈到的华人在美国社会如何扎根融入的问题正是现在大家都共同关心的话题。 此文曾经发表在 Chinese American Forum Journal 上， 经卢先生授权，在此刊登，分享给大家。文后有对卢伟民先生的详细介绍.

Thank you for inviting me to speak this evening. As Chinese Minnesotan for several decades, my wife and I enjoying living, working, and raising our family here. This is our home, and we shall never leave here. Yet, I also recognize the challenge we face in being fully accepted as Minnesotan. 

If we look back to our history in America, we find in the old days, under the immigration law then, all Chinese after a life long work, must go back to China, as an old Chinese saying, “Falling leafs must return to ground”. We were the "sojourners". 

After the abolishment of Chinese exclusion law, we could stay since then. We do indeed want to live here, and die here some day. We love this land of ten thousand lakes, for the quality of life, for the arts and culture, and for the recognition of the importance of social welfare. This is our home and country. We prefer to "deepening our roots" in this new homeland we love.

However, we also realize some people regard us as 'forever foreigners', no matter how long we live, and serve this country. It still is one of the challenges we must overcome. 

Some years ago, Vincent Chin was mistaken as a Japanese and murdered before his wedding, during the anti-Japanese period.

Not too long ago, Wen Ho Lee was wrongly accused of spying and went to solitary prison for a long period of time, until the judge found him not guilty, apologize to him, and release him. 

Reflecting upon the past helps us to understand the present, and to prepare for the future.

This evening, being privileged as a “new American by choice”, I want to pose five basic questions. I would like to share with you some of my thought, hope you would find your way of working with others to achieve our common goals.

1. What could we do to learn more of the American culture and heritage, and making us a dedicated and loyal American?

I believe beside learning the history and constitution as citizen of United States, we need to actively participate in the political process, helping to chose a great leader for our country. We need to work with many others, making them aware that we love this land and country, and we are loyal citizens. 

2. What could we do to avoid racial discrimination, and enjoy freedom and liberty as other American do? How do we break the “glass ceiling”?

Unfortunately, in spite the decades of civil right movement, racial discrimination still exist. Whether you are black, yellow, or brown, you might suffer from it. We not only have to be willing to work twice or three times as hard, even then still may not be enough. It can be most painful experience. We need to join civil right movement, working with other minorities to fight for equity. Like other minority, we also suffer from ‘glass ceiling’ in the corporation world. Here again, we can’t fight this alone. We need to join others to fight it together. Sometime, we need to find another job, where a more equitable leader is running it.

3. What could we do to contribute more to this new homeland?

While we might be better educated than some other minorities, how do we contribute more to this homeland. I believe it take some additional effort beyond your chosen professional field. We nee to find opportunity to serve the larger community through volunteer effort, and/or making our financial contributions.

4. What could we do to make our children understand and appreciate our Chinese heritage, and encourage them to contribute to America?

As a Chinese American, I appreciate what I learn since migrated to America, and learn so much American culture. However, I also treasure my Chinese heritage. Chinese culture has more than five thousand years of history. It is an important part of human civilization. I found when I brought east and west together, it offers some unique synthesis, can offer some unique and useful solution to typical problems. This is why I wrote a book sharing my bi-culture perspective and how I solve old problem with new effective solution.

5. What could we do to help promote better understanding and relationship between U.S. and China, and build a peaceful and prosperous world?

Our world is changing rapidly today – as Tom Freidman point out “our world is flat” Living in this global village, we are ever more interdependent upon each other.

China is growing rapidly, that some see it as an opportunity, while others see it as a threat. How the U.S. and China relationship evolves will affect us all is not something we could just ignore. 

With our bicultural background, knowing the difference in culture, history, and geography of China and the United States, we believe we ought do our part in promoting better understanding and relations between the two countries and two peoples, and promoting peace and prosperity in the world. 

Some of us served locally on the sister cities, sister state committees, advised State governors on their trade missions. We are working with the Minnesota Chapter of the U.S./China Friendship Association (USCFA) on a Chinese Garden in reflecting the Chinese more than 130 years' history in Minnesota, and promoting better understanding between the two countries. 

In 1914, three Chinese students first came to University to study; today it has one of the largest numbers of Chinese students in United States. Some of us are advising the University on their many exchange programs.  

To promote better understanding, some of us served on the National Chinese American Committee of 100, and advised National Committee on U.S. China Relations in hosting visit and exchanges between leaders in the two countries. 

To conclude my remarks, I like to quote John Gardner what he said in his book Excellence, Can we be Equal and Excellence?

" Just as there must be large number of people who are performing critical jobs with devotion and conviction, so there must be a widespread dedication to the goals of the society at large.

...We expect individual American to set their own priorities, not only in their personal lives, but also in matter affecting the common good. The result is diversity of values, diversity of opinion, diversity of aims.

But we must also have shared aims. And our hope of greatness as a nation lies in these shared aims."

As American, we do believe in sharing our common goals and aspirations. I am also reminded by an old Chinese saying, "Wei Da Wo, Bu Wei Xiao Wo", or in English, " We must work for the larger community, rather than for small oneself."

Above all, we do hope our individual and community efforts in local and national levels, will help in some small way in making Minnesota a more livable and prosperous State, and in building a bridge of understanding between the U.S. and China, and a peaceful and prosperous world. 

Dec. 2014

上图第一排左二为卢伟民先生在2015年双城华人讲坛做明城城市规划讲座《The Unknown Twin Cities》 时与主办方明尼苏达北大及清华校友会部分成员的合影。

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作者简介

盧偉民，城市規劃和發展專家，因其在美國城市重建和在世界各地的咨詢工作，國際會議上的研討，著作和講學，對城市設計，街坊維護，及都市彂展課題的種種貢獻，而獲得國際認可。

他曾應邀參加許多國際研討會，如二〇〇八年於南京舉行的聯合國世界都市論壇,同年於北京的奧運后國際論壇,一九八八年於倫敦的藝術與都市再生會議,一九八一年於華沙舉行的美國波籣古蹟保護會議,一九七九年於東京的防震及都市設計會等等 。

憑借遠見卓識,堅持不懈的努力,和良好的溝通合作能力,他幫助許多城市重建和社區彂展,如重建聖保羅市中心為創意（城中村),達拉斯市活躍的兿術區,及為明尼阿波利斯市（明城）作縂體設計為宜居的北方城市.他従亊種種歷史保護工作,包括推動明尼蘇他州古蹟保護法,引起全州歷史城區之維護和重建,達拉斯內城之大整建,及保存德州學校課本倉庫大樓,(甘乃第縂統秛刺殺之地)并在頂樓建甘乃笫紀念館。

他不時應邀為中美城市作顧問,如為北京奧運場地設計國際競賽評審,聯合國駐台顧問團，台北市重大建設案,1992年洛杉矶中南區暴動後的重建,舊金山市和西雅啚的城中心.Chattanooga,TN,及Winnipeg,Canada之河濱彂展，北京,上海,及南京的規劃和彂展,新加坡牛車水之重建等.他多年也為美國住都部,美國羙術基金會,及美國歷史保護信托恊會作顧問.

他在學術界甚為活躍,曾仼美國都市計劃學會都市設計分會會長,全羙建築學會顧問,美國市長都市設計學院講師,時常應邀在大學講學,如哈佛,加州伯克利分校,清華,同濟,華沙,漢城,等等.并任東京大學訪問教授.及麻省理工學院東亞地區規劃和建築實驗室顧問,參加中日美韓各國交流,他幫助主辦該學院和成功大學合辦中美科學園區研討會,為南部科學園區開路。

他的著作,如山水人情再創東方氣質城市, 台灣都市之危機與希望, 他和專家學者合箸書夲,如 Old and New Architecture: Design Relationship, 地球環境和巨大都市（日文) 等等, 面對許多都市科題不少建議.

許多國內外雜誌和書夲刊登他的規劃彂展和成果,如 Planning, Architecture Journal, Urban Design, CRM:The Journal of Heritage Stewardship, 天下,遠見,空間,建築師,北京規劃建設等雜誌. 如 America’s Downtowns: Growth, Politics, and Preservation, 和Changing Places: Rebuilding Community in the Age of Sprawl, Urban Rejuvenation in America (日文) 等書夲。

他的都市設計及彂展策略在若干藝術舘展覽, 如明城 Walker Art Center, 及Dallas Art Museum,他的規劃理論及彂展過程被聯邦政府選出拍成電影,代表羙國城市，在聯合國人居會議上放映,明城的公共電視台也將聖保羅的創意（城中村）拍成電影。

文章来源：

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