“Every morning — 5:00 a.m. in the morning — my father would take me to the river bank and we would do Tai Chi … it nurtures the spirit.”

George Guo, associate professor of political science, fondly shared glimpses of his childhood growing up in China. He is from a populous southwestern province in China that was also home to the legendary Deng Xiaoping, who reformed China’s economic and social sectors after the death of Mao Zedong. The 1960’s and 1970’s were restless times in Chinese history with the spread of communist and Marxist ideals.

“Nine years old and I joined the Red Guard,” said Guo. “The Cultural Revolution was a new way of thinking.”

When asked what he wanted to be while growing up, the response was sure but not without a trace of laughter.

“I didn’t,” said Guo, sipping something that looked like tea from his mug. “Such self-interest — that wasn’t the way. The atmosphere and environment was all-encompassing. The country came first.”

Soon after, Guo and his sister were sent to the countryside for “re-education” — efforts that advocated self-sacrifice, respect for authority, and idealism. Guo became a teacher there before the age of 17 and was lecturing students who were only one or two years younger than him.

“I used to teach everything,” said Guo. “Math, physics, music, Chinese … everything. And I was then promoted to teach music at the county level.”

Guo remembers how useful his violin playing was to the propaganda efforts during the time. The Communist Party used music, sports, and other activities to draw crowds and attract attention. However, Guo never became a member of the party because of the massive commitment it required.

“The Party called me a liberal intellectual,” said Guo. “I was not the sort of person they wanted, because while I had the skills, I did not believe or think like them.”

Meanwhile, the colleges of China were nationally closed. The Cultural Revolution took a toll on the educational progress of the nation and for six years, students graduated high school but could never move beyond that. When Deng Xiaoping came into power, he instituted the National Entrance Examination.

“I scored very well on the examination,” said Guo. “I got into one of the top colleges in China — one of the best. In my class there were students from the age of 15 to 35. I was 22.”

Guo then went on to major in ship engineering, and was later chosen to work for the Transportation Ministry. However, all this time, one might assume his heart was not completely in sync with the government’s ideals and actions.

“I began to read all sorts of things … forbidden at the time,” Guo said. “My peers would be happy to listen to the government. I did not want to be a slave of the government.”

Guo kept these views to himself for quite a while. Later, Guo was sent to various countries like Japan to learn about transportation advances. Guo was in Germany on one of these trips when the Tiananmen Square Massacre occurred. He was unhappy with the government’s actions and participated in protests outside the Chinese Embassy in Germany. After that, Guo realized he would be in an unstable position upon his return to China with regards to his work.

Some of the European nations offered a sort of political status for those like Guo and he was able to settle down there for a while before deciding to further his studies in the United States. Guo joined the University of Virginia for his graduate studies in public administration and then continued his research in international politics. In 2002, he became a part of the Guilford College community and has been teaching here ever since.

When asked what Guo would do if he was not teaching at Guilford, he didn’t miss a beat.

“I’m a good cook — eggrolls,” said Guo. “I’ll open my own restaurant.”