The Other Bush

by Zhang Lei and Wang Xixian

His face may not be recogniz- able to most， but his family name is as well known as any in American politics. He has engaged in extensive promotion of volunteerism and Sino-American relations in China while conducting business in real estate， energy， mining， and investment consulting. The son of former President George H.W. Bush and a younger brother of former President George W. Bush， his name is Neil Bush.

Why is He Special？

We met Neil Bush in his Houston office. He wore a slightly wrinkled blue shirt and black-framed glasses. A landscape painting hung on the wall， and a toy sailboat rested on a cabinet， a common souvenir from Chinas small commodity markets.

The opposite wall seemed to be his photo exhibition area. In the center hung a picture of his extended family， taken during the 12th and last time they spent Christmas at Camp David. The office is connected to a room where Bush displays his collection of Chinese memorabilia， including golden dragons on red plates， vases， and souvenir medals in boxes. His favorite piece in the collection is a portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong.

His album included photos he took during the 1970s and 1980s when he and his parents visited Beijing， including shots of pedestrians on street， the Great Wall， and other sights along the bike tour. “Look at those two men，” he smiled， pointing at one of the images. “They stared at me and my brothers and sisters non-stop. People at that time were just too curious about us.”

Bush first visited China in 1975， and those unforgettable memories seemed to be his favorite. Streets were filled with only bicycles and pedestrians. He recalled that only the most basic daily necessities were displayed in shop windows. Everyone wore similar outfits in limited colors. That year， when he and his siblings visited the zoo to see giant pandas， they drew massive attention. Locals showed far more interest in them than the animals.

In his simple Houston office， Bush proudly displayed evidence of his deep connection with China. Since 1975， he has visited nearly 100 times.

“The Other Side of the River is China”

On August 27， 2012， Bush posted a photo on his verified Weibo （the Chinese version of Twitter） account. The image showed him wearing a green cap with a red star and a “Serve the People” satchel， grinning as he held a mug featuring Mao Zedong. Beneath this outfit he still wore a suit. The caption for the photo， in both Chinese and English， read， “Im thinking of joining the Chinese Communist Party. What do you think of my accessories？”

This post sparked an instant sensation on the internet. Bushs Chinese assistant translated many online comments from Chinese netizens for him. He considered most comments humorous and witty. However， the post angered some American netizens： “The Bush family wants to sell us to China，” commented some.

Bush shrugs off such criticism. “I dont think thats a serious topic，” he asserted， adding that some people lack a sense of humor and dont get jokes. He took the picture for fun. “I thought the smile on my face would explain everything，” he sighed， raising his hands in exasperation.

As an American who started observing China before the country introduced reform and opening up， Bush has a deep， personal understanding of Chinas changes and the Chinese publics mentality. He explains his feelings on the Sino-American relationship by comparing the U.S. to a beautiful big house on one side of the river， with China on the other side. He explains that today， many Chinese people including government officials， young people， and workers， desire a beautiful big house. From what he has seen on Weibo， some people want it right away. But life is never so easy. He explains that China needs to continue working carefully on its home in order to make it big and beautiful， which requires time. He recalled 1975， when the only houses he saw in China were shabby， and compared that era to the tremendous improvements today. Bush hopes that Chinese people will continue working to perfect its legal system， fight corruption， and maintain development focused on economic construction. Eventually， China will “have its big beautiful house.”

A Non-political Member of a Political Family

Compared to his journeys to China， Neil Bushs professional career in the United States was not quite as smooth.

He served on the board of directors of Denver-based Silverado Savings and Loan during the 1980s savings and loan crisis. Doug Wead， a former special assistant to President George H. W. Bush， opined that if not for that scandal， Neil Bush may have also entered the political arena like his father and brothers. He once asked for advice from his brothers on campaigning when they got together.

Eventually， however， he emerged as a“non-political member of a political family” and devoted his energy to business and nurturing his fathers connection to China. He believes that everyone in the world can find a way to help others. It is his elite family background that propels him to find new ways to serve.

To promote volunteerism， his father founded the Points of Light Institute years ago. Now， Neil Bush is chairman of the organization. He also often participates in events that discuss Sino-American relations in China on behalf of his father.

As his father has aged， the former Presidents pace of life has slowed. However， the old man still has ambition. Neil Bush revealed that his father still keeps busy and wants to set a good example for other elders. The former President went skydiving on his 85th birthday and took a speed boat ride in Maine.

Peter Schweizer， co-author of The Bushes： Portrait of a Dynasty， describes the family as the “most successful political dynasty in American history.” While some are already discussing Neils nephew George P. Bushs prospects for political office， Neil Bush reminds people that his own son， Pierce Bush， has also become inspired to serve the American people.

Links

On August 30， 2011， a Weibo post attracted considerable attention. The original post in Chinese read， “I am a non-political member from a political family.” The sender was named Neil Bush， and the account was verified by Weibo.com. “Believe it or not， my father used to be the American President， and my brother also used to be President. I hope to help you understand my family through Weibo and boost understanding between our two countries.”

Since then， Neil Bush and his Chinese assistant have been posting on Weibo almost daily. At present， he has amassed nearly 140，000 followers. Compared with Weibo， his Twitter account is much less active.