Dr Ming Wang’s Communism Survival Story, and the American Dream

From: Dr. Ming Wang, Harvard & MIT (MD); PhD interview with American Snippets.

Eight year-old Ming Wang had no idea why his parents were so angry, or what he’d done wrong. He was a hard working, high-achieving student determined to make his family proud. He was an amazing big brother who never complained about the hard life they led. So when Chinese Communist officials swarmed down on his home and accused him of being a counter-revolutionary, Ming and his terrified parents pleaded for his life to be spared.

He was given a reprieve of sorts – he would be allowed to live, and stay home with his parents for the time being. He would still be subject to the forced deportation that resulted in 20 million Chinese students being sentenced to labor camps far from their families, but that was still some years away. He would not be given a black dot in his file, meaning should he somehow manage to avoid deportation, he would not be blacklisted from employment. But the academic honors little Ming worked relentlessly to achieve were stripped from him. He was no longer positioned as a star student, but labeled as a lowlife and relegated to the corner.

drwang american snippets

It was a humiliating and unfair punishment for a crime he did not commit, but Ming and his parents knew he was lucky it had not been worse. They doubled down on their commitment to overcome the brutality and inhumanity of a regime that oppressed, persecuted, tortured and even publicly executed its People.

Dr Ming Wang’s mom was a university teacher until the night the Red Coats descended on her lab. His mom and other professors rushed to defend their work, only to be beaten to death or nearly to death. It took Ming’s mom two years of bedrest to recover from dozens of broken bones, only to be deported for two years upon her recovery.

The sheer brutality, terror, and constant fear of death or deportation could have broken Ming’s spirit. But his parents refused to give up on him or their family no matter what horrors and odds they faced. They were unyielding in insistence that they would overcome those odds.

And they did.

In what can only be described as a miraculous, incredible story of courage, resilience, grace, and strength, Ming made it out of China. He went on to become an American citizen and soared to the top of his field. He is now the eye surgeon that other doctors come to for treatment. Celebrities seek him out for his medical expertise and his musical talent. Children from around the world, brutalized and blinded, can see again thanks to the nonprofit work Dr. Wang dedicates himself to, and he is among the proudest American citizens out there, sharing his story and working to end the dangerous polarization sweeping this country.

You may have seen some of his story depicted in the movie God’s Not Dead. This January you will be able to catch an in depth version of his extraordinary life in the movie SIGHT, starring Greg Kineer. But today you can hear from Dr Ming Wang himself, in this episode of American Snippets.

Here are some other resources on Dr Ming Wang, his work, and the upcoming movie, “Sight”.

A video about Dr. Ming Wang’s autobiography “From Darkness to Sight”, which is being made into the film “Sight” co-starring Greg Kinnear.

A video about the story of amniotic membrane contact lens.

A video about the movie “God’s not dead” (in which the Chinese student character is inspired by the story of Dr. Wang), and our Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration’s patient Maria, her story from darkness to sight!

Here are some of the topics discussed in this must listen episode with Dr. Ming Wang:

What the Chinese Cultural Revolution was
Ignorance and Communism
How 20 million students were sent to labor camps
How Communists used universities and schools to gain power
The single biggest fear for youth during the Chinese Cultural Revolution
The terrible chose Chinese parents were forced to make
Why he was almost executed at 8 years old
The incredible way Dr Wang earned a spot in college when the Cultural Revolution came to an end
LASIK surgery and his career
Restoring sight to blind orphans
The polarization of America
'Sight', the film starring Greg Kineer and based on Dr Ming Wang’s story

Dr Ming Wang’s Communism Survival Story, and the American Dream

Sight Videos