The People’s Republic of Desire

52 The Striptease Club

What Tom and I have shared is a short fling that doesn't have any future. I know that my friends are right. I can't change my lifestyle for Tom. I leave Missouri for Washington, D.C., to visit my friend Ann, another overeducated single gal.

Ann lives in Dupont Circle and works for the Department of State. We go to the nice restaurants and bars in the neighborhood to hang out. D.C. is a place full of young, single, and politically ambitious professional men. But I am not in the mood to date: I am leaving town soon – too soon to develop any serious relationships. Plus, I feel guilty for leaving Tom.

On the last day in D.C., I take a walk along Pennsylvania Avenue. I'm dressed in baggy clothes. In Lafayette Park behind the White House, I run into six Asian tourists who are sitting on the lawn, smoking and chattering. From the small bags under their arms, the Olympus cameras they carry, the badly fitting suits and ties they wear, and the ever-present cloud of cigarette smoke, it's easy to tell that they're from China. Of course, the fact that they are also speaking Chinese is a bit of a tipoff as well…

In the past few years, Chinese delegations have been a major part of the American tourist scene. They arrive in groups and their expenses are often paid by their companies or work-units as some kind of bonus.

"Hi!" I greet the Chinese tourists warmly.

"Are you Chinese?" asks a man who wears bottle glasses.

"Yes."

"Are you American Chinese?" Another young man asks.

"Yes."

"You don't work for the CIA or the FBI, do you?" A stocky middle-aged man asks. It's difficult to tell whether he is joking or serious.

"Of course not." I laugh.

"We were told that we might be tailed by spies in the United States. We have to be careful about speaking to strangers here." The stocky man is serious.

"Who told you that? I don't believe that bullshit. Where are you from?"

" Linyi County, Shandong Province,' the young man replies.

"What do you think of D.C.?" I ask them.

"At first, I thought I was in Africa. I didn't expect to see so many blacks in D.C. You know, the Hollywood movies mainly feature white actors. So I thought…" the young man quickly voices his opinion.

"In D.C., 62 percent of the population is African American," I tell him.

"I think the guesthouse for foreign state guests doesn't look luxurious at all, at least from the outside," the man with glasses says.

"I thought the United States was a rich country and it should be full of skyscrapers. But it is disappointing that D.C. doesn't have as many skyscrapers as Beijing or Shanghai," says the stocky man.

" Washington has a rule that no buildings can be taller than the Capitol. Since they cannot be tall, they are quite wide," I explain.

"Okay, I can understand why the buildings are so wide now, but why are the people as well?" The stocky man asks me, eying the ped estrians.

"Show some respect to the American people!" Before I can speak, a tall authoritarian-looking man who has been silent stops everyone.

The tall man seems to be the leader. He raises his arms to the sky, faces the White House, and says in a loud voice, "Long live the friendship between the American people and the Chinese people!"

"Where are you going next?" I ask the young man.

"Vegas. Of course. We are going to eat lobsters and watch strippers dance and gamble!" The young man answers with pride and excitement.

"Have fun!" I am about to leave.

"Can I talk to you in private?" The tall man stops me.

"Sure."

"You see, what Little Wang just said was just his own agenda in Vegas. I haven't approved yet. As a matter of fact, I'm worried these young people will be badly influenced by the West. Thanks to Deng Xiaoping's open-door policy and the great vision of our great Communist Party, we can eat lobsters quite often in China now. It's no longer a big deal or something corrupting. As for his second agenda, at first I disapproved of it. I wanted to protect these young officials from corrupt thoughts and behaviors. Then Little Wang and the other younger members argued with me, saying that the party encourages older officials like me to be more open-minded. So I think, in order to show some respect for the young and be open-minded, I can't be too arbitrary, which means that I need to make a decision based on facts. That is to say, only when I see how decadent the dance is and make a fair evaluation can I make the right decision."

"So why are you telling me this?" I ask.

"I'm thinking of going to a strip club tonight here to check it out by myself. It will help me make a decision for our group."

"To be honest, I'm not familiar with Washington either. If you have a local tour guide, you can ask him."

"We do have a tour guide, but if he told other group members about my inquiry, it would make me look bad. I told everybody to preserve the purity of us all, I wouldn't go to a strip club. But now I've decided to sacrifice my own purity to protect the purity of the other party members. If you take me there, I can pay your ticket and tips as well. The expenses can be reimbursed by our work-unit if it says entertainment fee."

For a second, I want to take him up on his offer and bring him to a male strip joint where I imagine myself throwing free money to hunks who strip-dance for me. But I kill the idea right away.

"It will be much more fun if you go there with your wife or girlfriend," I say to the man and wave good-bye.

As I walk back, I realize that I am going back to China tomorrow. America without Len is fine. I can have fun and have a relationship.