It’s near the end of June and my friend mentioned that July 4 is just around the corner. Oh, I should remember the day, an important day for the United States and for Americans.

However, does it have anything to do with me — a Chinese visiting scholar at Texas Tech? The first time July 4 made any impression on me was when I saw the film “Born on the Fourth of July” 20 years ago. For the first time I felt the freedom of the country due to the fact that an anti-war film of its nature could be shown in the United States.

Before I came to the United States, I thought I knew a lot about it. It’s the most advanced country with a sound democratic system. People are rich. Cars here are like bicycles in China and almost everybody has one.

As for freedom, you can jeer at the president in the media even to the degree of insult. Government officials are real servants for the people and they have no chance to be corrupted like Chinese officials since the whole process of administrative operation is transparent and under close supervision.

The United States is a kaleidoscope; there is nothing new and strange under the sky of the United States and the only limit is your imagination. Homosexual activists hold a demonstration every year to advocate their right — same-sex marriage. Sex workers go on strike for their supposed righteous interest.

The United States is one of the countries with a high crime rate. All these things pieced together a strange picture in my mind which puzzled me: whatis the United States really like?

Then I came to the United States, the country I had dreamed of visiting. When my friend asked me which city I would go to, I answered him in Chinese word by word: la-bo-ka, just like the monologue way reading “Lolita” in Nabokov’s LOLITA. Yes, Lubbock!

This is the place where I began the journey to know the United States. With more American friends I made and more visits to different cities, I began to know why America is a great country and why Americans are great people. First, religion helps the United States to become a great country (also a surprising conclusion). Specifically, religion contributes a lot to the construction of the social ethics of the United States.

The phrase “In God we trust,” printed on U.S. currency, suggests the cornerstone of American belief. Numerous churches around the country have been playing an indispensable role in shaping American national character — honesty, a sense of justice, kindness and devotion. I make such a judgment by my observation and experience.

In Lubbock, many people are Christians. They believe in God and study the Bible. What is the Bible? Before I came here, I had regarded it as nothing more than a mixture of myth and history. But they tell me it’s God’s word in human language. Well, I’m unable to say much about this within my limited ability. But one thing I know is that it’s a book of great love. God is love. Jesus is love. And Jesus is a perfect example for human beings to follow. What the Bible teaches us is to love others, to devote ourselves.

Am I in the United States? Are they Americans? I’m under the clear impression from different media that the United States is a crazy streetcar of desires and the Almighty dollar governs everything. However, the other day, I saw a woman park her car in front of a store named “American Council of the Blind Thrift Store”. She took a package of clothes from her car and donated them. Then I find there are a lot of organizations here that work not for money. Second, America is a great country because the founders of this country cherished a noble ideal — all men are created equal.

This thrilling sentence has been resonating in the sky of the United States since its foundation. Whenever I realize that Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968 and 32 years later, a black American was elected the President of the United States, I’m amazed and awed by the incredible progress! Equality and social justice are what Americans value and pursue. I strongly feel this when I get along with Americans from different walks of life. Another important factor which makes America a great country is that the founders of this country created a political system with delicate mechanisms of checks and balances. Owing to the best, though not perfect, game rules, democracy survives and thrives, directing the great ship of the United States on the right course.

So, on the occasion of July 4, I want to say: I love America! I love American people! God bless America!