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Name： David Noel ToolChinese Name： Du DaweiNationality： AmericanOccupation： ProfessorTime in China： 10 yearsDu Dawei， an affable American going greyat the temples and bearing an ardent love for traditionalChinese attire and culture， is the epitomeof scholarly demeanor and soldierly bearing.
Since forming his ties with China he has neverregarded himself as an outsider， and he nevertires of “nit-picking” English signage aroundBeijing. Recently it has been rumored that this“old chap” has conceived a “secret plan” thatwill make his Beijing life more enjoyable， andprobably make him forget to return to his Americanhome.
16 0 David Noel Tool is his real name， which is easily transliteratedinto Chinese as Du Dawei. Local folks call him “Lao Du”， or “OldDu”。 This elderly gentleman prefers to be addressed as “Lao Du”。
“Lao” is a specific form of address that shows intimacy and informality，making him feel warm and pleased. Lao Du feels a bit humbledby his chosen surname because of the respect he has for the great poetDu Fu of the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， who is also referred to as “LaoDu”。 “I like Du Fu’s disposition， a poet’s disposition of always beingconcerned about the fate of the nation.” Our Lao Du is also concerned about a nation — China.
Recently， Lao Du’s popularity has shot up due to his frequent appearancesin Beijing’s major news media. Almost everyone has noticedthat， from the bathrooms in five-star hotels to the roadside restrooms，the English signs reading “W.C.” have been changed and standardizedto “Toilet”。 It is known to many that the American Du Dawei advocatesthe standardization of English signage. But of course， his meritsare not limited to this.
Since he started teaching — his first love — at Beijing InternationalStudies University in 2001， Du Dawei has been voluntarily correctingmangled public English signs throughout Beijing， and at thesame time working as an advisor to the Organizing committee of BeijingSpeaks Foreign Languages Program. On January 12， 2006， he washonored with the “Great Wall Friendship Reward” for his outstandingcontributions to “Beijing’s economic and social development”。 OnMarch 28， 2007， he was chosen， through public acclaim on the Internet，as one of the “Top Ten Volunteers”， the only foreigner to receivethe honor. He has done a great deal to improve Beijing’s image andthus has won the great esteem of the Chinese people. He never regardshimself as an outsider， and the Chinese always regard him as one oftheir own.
Attached to Oriental CultureWe came to interview him at his home in the living quarters forforeign teachers at the Beijing International Studies University. Onceinside his home， we found ourself standing in the middle of a miniaturemuseum of Chinese culture. On the walls， doors， and anywherewhere something could be hung， you can see face masks paintedwith theatrical makeup or traditional Chinese calligraphy and paintings.
One wall of the sitting room is covered with a set of four pictureplaques done in a theme of the four seasons. The home， full of an airof antiquity， is furnished with old-fashioned Chinese furniture： aneight-immortal square table and wooden armchairs， curio cabinets，a long narrow table and bookshelves. Piled on tables and in cabinets162 and bookshelves arebooks along with avariety of antiques
and cultural relics
— figurines of Lord
G u a n ， Bao Gong，
Buddha and Guanyin，
theatrical headgear，and other bric-a-brac.
Even the doorways
and bathrooms are
decorated with a dazzling array of knick-knacks.
When speaking of Bao Gong， a well-known historical officialwho fought against corruption， Lao Du shows deep admiration. “He isthe paragon of a civil servant.” As for Lord Guan， the retired US armycolonel says： “He is the sage of war， the god of soldiers.” Of course itis a must to have a Buddha to worship， as Du Dawei has converted toBuddhism.
The hale and hearty Lao Du has great affection for traditionalChinese clothes. Hanging in his closets are many beautiful “TangZhuang”。 The six-foot-one professor， with his scholarly bearing andstalwart body tempered by army training， looks especially “cool” andeven classier than most natives would attired in these traditional Chinesegarments. It seems that the suits are specially conceived for him.
During the interview Lao Du， sitting in an old-fashioned woodenarmchair， talks cheerfully and humorously and intermingles Englishwith Chinese. Starting on the subject of his attachment to Chinese cul ture， he recalls memories of Chinese-themed movies he saw as a child：the Four Heavenly Kings， the King of Hell and his two constables， OxHead and Horse Face， and the bloodcurdling scenes of cruel torturesin Hell. “I don’t know why I was scared stiff then.” His brows knittedand a strange expression on his face， he seems to have returned to hischildhood. I can somewhat tell from his expression the tremendousfear struck in his young heart by that version of Chinese culture. Howeverthat couldn’t count as a real understanding of Chinese culture. Hisreal， close contact with it came many years later.
Lao Du majored in German at college and wanted to carve outa career teaching German history after graduation. Who would havethought that fate would dispatch him to Vietnam in 1966， and put himthrough a life-and-death ordeal? The sensation of visiting that countrywas so exotic to him he felt it was like “walking on the Moon”。 However，while there he also experienced danger as grave as the hells hehad seen in books and movies. “In a single day， eighteen of my fellowsoldiers fell in battle and laid down their lives in a foreign country.
I sadly and keenly felt how fragile and precious human life was andhow helpless we often seemed to be.” Christian doctrine couldn’t helphim ease his vexation and bewilderment. Therefore， he had a crisis ofreligious belief between 1966 and 1991.
