A Personage of the Community: a Story about Triumph over a Handicap
by a Chinese American Immigrant

"At a cultural center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the Eastern Coast, a melody was drifting from a group of children: no matter where you come from, we call America our home; as Chinese Americans, we all learn Chinese together no matter where you come from.." 

This is the official school song written by John Wei in 1989 for the Raleigh Chinese School. Mr. John Wei in an interview with The  Epochtimes was asked to recall his personal experiences during the past decades. 

John Wei is a distinguished Chinese American and is highly respected in the North Carolina Chinese American community. For many years he has actively participated in local politics and in community service. He has established intimate friendships with many local American politicians and has helped Chinese immigrants to merge with mainstream American society. He has been variously praised as "the unofficial representative for Chinese Americans," "an ambassador between the Chinese community and other ethnic groups," and in a more jocular spirit, "the Chinese mayor." John's favorite title is the informal apellation "Lao Wei". "Lao" in Chinese custom is an informal name given to a senior person who has earned respect for his accomplishments and wisdom.

The Success of a Pioneering Trailblazer 

John Wei was born in Taiwan in 1946. His father was born in Yanling County, Hunan province, China, and his mother is a native of Taiwan. When young, his father suffered from poverty and worked hard as the breadwinner for the Wei family. John's mother is a kind and thrifty housewife. John's parents brought up five children with him being the eldest one. To commemorate his father's 80th birthday, though his father had passed away, John composed a poem to which a beautiful tone was added by a musician. 

". The Chinese civilization has lasted for five thousand years,

Just like the river flowing down;

Every time we celebrate festivals,

My father's teaching always comes to my mind, to my mind ." 

This poem illustrates his boundless love yet mourning for his deceased father. What John never forgets is his departure from Taiwan to the United States at the Songshan Airport, Taipei, Taiwan in 1978. His father repeatedly exhorted him to be careful and to do his best on the soil of a new country, America. As a matter of fact, his father placed all his hope in John. John often cries with tears, whenever he recalls that memorable episode. For his father's sake and in his father's name, John established two scholarships, to help Chinese children succeed in America. 

John's unfortunate experience at the age of 20 was an explosion in a chemical lab. Some of his fingers were blown away and his eardrums and eye corneas were damaged. It was his wife who helped him to walk out of his personal "valley" of near despair. For this, he vowed to help other people in need. 

John graduated from Taiwan National Normal University as a mathematics major in 1971. Then he taught for seven years in Taiwan's public schools and also established a private school. His students are now scattered all around the world and some of them have been elected to high political office in Taiwan. Between 1971 and 1978, he and his wife worked four jobs. This occurred when Taiwan was still struggling for prosperity, yet John and his wife already owned a private car, a pleasant house with some saving, and led a prosperous life. Then, John decided to abandon all in order to pursue "the American dream." 

In 1978, John and Shue both were granted full scholarships from Penn State University, where both undertook a joint major in mathematics and computer science. In 1980, John graduated and landed a job with a software development company in South Carolina. In 1982, they moved to Cary, NC, because John was hired as a programmer by Carolina Power & Light Company.  He also served as a Systems Engineer for IBM in Beijing between 1984 and 1986. The Weis returned to the U.S. in 1986.  John resumed employment with CP&L and his wife Shue with IBM. In 1987 both of John and Shue decided to establish, on a part time basis, they own company, Wei Realty Co., which at one time employed over ten part-time employees. At the same time, John and Shue own and manage more than a dozen apartment buildings and houses. John started receiving his retirement pension from CP&L in 2001.  Currently, John works as a Software Application Analyst at the Office of State Personnel, North Carolina State Government. He often jokes that he is making his final contribution to society. 

Active Participation in Politics and Providing Service to the Community 

Since there is a natural cultural and language barrier for new immigrants to the US, many Chinese Americans have found it difficult to participate in mainstream activities. For example, in 1989, a Chinese Vietnamese Jim Lu, an immigrant, was killed in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the case prompted Chinese Americans to fight for their own rights. The case impelled John Wei to reach the notion that Chinese Americans must take active steps to bridge the gap between themselves and mainstream American society.   

Henceforward, John Wei actively participated in public activities and he was elected vice principal and then principal for the Raleigh Chinese School. He established the North Carolina Chinese Business Association along with Mr. Ken Lee and Dr. C.C.Yang in 1990. John was vice president and then president of the Triangle Area Chinese American Society (TACAS) in 1992. He was a proactive member of the Sister Cities Committee for the City of Cary. In that capacity during 1993, he helped to establish a Sister-Cities relationship between Cary - Research Triangle Park, N. C.,  and Hsinchu City - Hsinchu Industrial Park in Taiwan. In 2001, John Wei was appointed by the Governor of North Carolina to be a member of  the Governor Board of Directors for the N.C. Rate Bureau. John also serves on a local Board of Directors for First Citizens Bank. At the same time, he is a N.C. Representative for the Chinese American Scholars Association in the Southeast United States. 

During his service to the community, John Wei has established friendly ties with both Republican and Democratic politicians, including the former Republican Senator Jesse Helms and his successor Senator Elizabeth Dole. He is a friend of presidential candidate Senator Edwards and Congressman Price and Congressman Etheridge. He often discusses finance and the stock market with state senators, house representatives and local city mayors, including Mayor of Cary Mr. Lang  (his stock mentor). He supports candidates of both parties, donates to their campaigns and lobbies local voters, especially Asian Americans, on their behalf. John believes that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Even if a candidates is out of a race, he would continue to support him. For example, in 1994, Congressman David Price was defeated by a Republican candidate, yet with the help of John and other Asian American friends, David Price regained his seat in the Congress. Hence John becomes a close friend for many political people in Research Triangle Area of North Carolina. 

*The Three Goals Yet to Be Realized 

Since 1990, John Wei has desired to build a Chinatown in the North Carolina Research Triangle Park area. His dream was to build a commercial area from which all merchants and all Chinese residents would benefit. This idea remains a dream. In 1996, John wanted to establish the first Chinese American operated bank.  However, since that was a boom period for dotcom companies, and people put most of their money into dotcom ventures and the stock market, this vision proved to be a task for the future. In 1999, John and NCSU Professor Yang Hong worked sedulously on a proposal for a North Carolina China Center in Raleigh.  John still hopes this idea will become a reality soon. 

*Friendship with All People 

John Wei is enthusiastic about making new friends, and he does so no matter whether they are rich or poor. It is one of his greatest pleasures to seek out people to be among his circle of friends. John firmly believes that having many friends can make a person happy and healthy. 

John Wei often visits people who came from Taiwan, mainland China, and Hong Kong, especially when those new immigrants are facing difficulties such as sickness and layoffs. He has helped many Chinese people to obtain a visa to visit the United States and has helped them to overcome difficulties, like passport, green card, Labor Certificate, Citizenship etc. He once helped a student from China in the capacity of a guarantor, assisted him in completing his study in Duke Law School, and aided him in landing a job as a lawyer. During his spare time, John organized Chinese Americans to clean the highway -- to show the devotion of the local Chinese American community to the local community. 

Happy Marriage and Successful Children 

John Wei's wife Shue is an intelligent and hardworking lady. She has worked at IBM for over 20 years as a Advisory Programmer. Shue also has demonstrated talent in performing Beijing Opera, a classic art form in China, and was elected as  President for the Triangle Beijing Opera Club.  John has a son and a daughter. Daughter Shiny also works for IBM and has lived in numerous states, as well as over one year in Paris, France, during her tenure as an IBM consultant. She was President of the Asian Student Association while a student at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.  Son Addi inherited his father's social skills and now serves as Treasurer of the Asian Student Association at North Carolina State University. Addi is also accomplished in Chinese Kung Fu and has performed before delighted audiences on numerous occasions. Addi recently completed a summer internship at IBM. He will graduate from NCSU at the end of this year. 

John welcomes people to discuss the stock market and real estate with him. His email address is mailto:Jwei2@aol.com, and his website is http://www.weireality.com/