While aspiring U.S. leaders tend to study politics or law, contemporary China has long extolled the virtues of scientific pursuit. In old China and the early years of the People’s Republic, a popular saying-“Those who master math and science can travel anywhere without fear”-was responsible for convincing generations of young Chinese citizens to immerse themselves in science. Qi Kangnan’s path is emblematic.
“People in the world shouldn’t live just for themselves,” Qi said. “They should contribute to society. That impression was very deep in me from a young age. I wanted to learn science. Science saves the country.”
Like many Chinese leaders, Qi studied engineering, which enabled him to contribute to China’s development in unanticipated ways-first as an optics teacher and researcher at China’s Tsinghua University, then as an industry company chief engineer, and most recently as one of the founders of the Beijing Natural Science Foundation. Even within science, Qi’s management and evaluation instincts were essential. Qi has been the leader of two academic societies and the judge for the China National Invention Award Committee for more than fifteen years.
Qi became a student of human relations, reading foreign philosophers such as Jurgen Habermas, a German thinker who explored the question of how societal institutions can meet the needs of individuals, with “communicative action” oriented toward attaining agreement with others. That question, said Qi, is extremely relevant to contemporary China and to traditional Chinese culture, which also places great value on social relationships.
“Chinese society needs to emphasize community building,” Qi said. “Originally, everything was organized according to work units. Everyone was in this school or that factory. Opportunities to interact were rare. Our society is undergoing great change. If we don’t establish a strong community culture, if we don’t have a strong identity, the community won’t thrive.”
That commitment to strengthening Chinese civil society brought Qi to Wildflowers Institute. “Wildflowers pioneered an approach to community building,” Qi said. “They understand the way the economy impacts the community. Their theories and methods are good for community building in China.”
Because he is highly respected in leadership circles, Qi’s keen grasp of human relations and community building has been essential in introducing new approaches to China. As Wildflowers’ project coordinator, he has developed a network of academic institutions conducting pioneering research to deepen current understanding of community culture. He has been a Wildflowers Fellow since 2000.