For Ball State political science professor the-Kuang Chang, tracing his roots meant taking a 28-hour taxi ride across Asia. As Chang discovered the truths of his past, he experienced first hand the culture of the barbaric foreign invaders that chased his ancestors from Central China to Taiwan, and finally, to the United States of America. According to Chang, it was this past that led him in a circle to the United States and back to the source of the chase. Tuva, an autonomous region inside the former Soviet Union, located north of Mongolia, with a population of about 300,000.
In Chang's 36 years as a professor at Ball State, he visited over 70 countries researching international relations, while specializing in Mongolian studies.
His ancestry, Chang said, is similar to the Disney film "Mulan." In the movie, Mulan disguised herself as a male soldier and fought the foreign invaders that chased her family out of China.
Chang was invited to visit Tuva, so he traveled with his daughter, Angel, from Moscow to Novosbirsk. Chang then took a 28-hour taxi ride from Novosibirsk to Kyzyl, the capitol of Tuva. He then headed for Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. His last stop was Beijing, China.
While means of transportation is usually not hard to come by, Chang chose a busy time of year, Aug. 13-18, 2001, for his trip. This is a national holiday in Tuva. One airplane flies there only once a week, he said. Chang worked on a tight schedule and the taxi ride served his only transportation.
"I asked the taxi driver if he needed two drivers, and he said no, he could make it," Chang said. "I had this fear of why didn't he want two drivers ... He needed the money. After 28 hours I said 'you'd better sleep before you go back.'"
Chang said the driver barely spoke English and resisted his advice. According to Chang, Tuva's citizens speak Russian, Tuva's language and some English.
The 28-hour ride cost him $550. When he reached Tuva, Chang learned about the country's struggles and history.
He met with President Sherig-ool Dizijikovich Oorjak, Tuva's first and only elected president.
According to Chang, the Chinese once ruled Tuva until it became a Russian protectorate in 1914. After joining the Soviet Union during World War II, the region became the Republic of Tuva in 1991. Oorjak was elected in 1992.
As the first Ball State professor to visit Tuva, Chang met with the parliament and the chairman of the Academy of Sciences, along with representatives from Tuva State University. Chang said he hopes to form an exchange between Ball State and schools in Tuva.
"I think if you're searching for something different ... you can go places where there is tourism, or you can take the step of the unknown and learn about it," Chang said.
Chang believes the learning process comes from two separate things: the capability to travel and by reading books.
"You have to know the world," Chang said. "To read it and to see it, you need both ways to make yourself knowledgeable. It's not one way or the other. If you only travel without reading the books, that won't be enough. ... If you read only the books, you need to make some changes, which is why I have two ways to approach that."
Chang is a firm believer that international relations create harmony. He said exchange programs open people's minds to view the world as one.
"All is conflict in this world because of misunderstanding," Chang said. "You can view the world as brothers and sisters, or you can live in a world where you only think about yourself."
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