PersonalFile
Name： Marcia Marks
Chinese Name： Ma XiaNationality： AmericanOccupation： Senior EditorTime in China： 16 yearsShe was a devoted Christian and she lovednature. She was a single woman in her fiftieswhen she came to China. Maybe her kindheartednessand devotion touched God and MotherNature， as an unusual marriage was arrangedfor her thousands of miles away. That is Marcia，like a tiny flower shining among hundreds ofthousands of its kind， had the very character ofa mountain flower — insignificant， indomitableand attractive. She nourished beautiful sentimentsregarding China. She was deeply in lovewith China， her family and friends， and nature.
108 The Chinese Qing Ming （Pure Brightness） Festival is observedto honor the memory of the deceased. In the year 2007， the festivalhappens to fall on May 5. It is a sunny， warm day. Spring fills the airwith its fragrant breath — little birds chirping on tree branches coveredin tender shoots， verdant grass coming up in the fields， and brightwild flowers opening in full blossom. On this special day， Tang Xiyang，an environmentalist and environmental writer， has arrived at DeLing Cemetery together with family， friends， and a veteran member ofthe Green Campers. As in previous years， the group is here to pay theirtributes to the memory of Marcia Marks， who was not only a guardianangel of nature but a plain and modest woman， and a noble and greatdaughter of God. Marcia Marks， a woman from across the PacificOcean， now rests eternally in a flower-covered tomb nestled amonggreen hills. She madelight of a thousand-milejourney in order to seekher dreams， and dedicatedthe latter half of herlife to her beloved China.
She will remain foreverin the land to which shewas deeply attached， tobe accompanied by her beloved ones and remain in the arms of Mother Nature， who she lovedall her life.
First Knowledge of ChinaBorn in the United States， the young Marcia learned fragments ofknowledge regarding ancient China from her grandmother， who hadhad a number of relatives engaged in business and missionary workthere. Her home was decorated with furniture and porcelain itemsfrom China. During the Christmas season， she would always receivegifts from that faraway country. All these influences created a yearningin her heart to visit that mysterious land， and the desire grew strongerwith each passing day. But she couldn’t realize her dreams， as SinoAmerican diplomatic relations had not yet been resumed. After college，Marcia spent a year working in Singapore， a country not very farfrom China. She made many Chinese friends there， thus stoking herpassion for the country. On her return home， Marcia devoted herself topromoting Sino-American friendship. As a member of the AmericanSino Friendship Association， she kept herself busy helping to normalizeSino-American relations. She used her savings to attend HarvardUniversity in the advanced studies of the Chinese language. At thesame time， she generously helped Chinese living in America by givingthem free English classes. After China opened its doors to the USAfollowing the “Ping Pong Diplomacy” initiative， and invited then USPresident Nixon for a visit， Marcia toured China with a delegation ofjournalists — the first of its kind in China — as an editor and reporterfor a women’s magazine. In 1980， she was engaged as an educationalexpert at China’s Institute of International Relations. Afterwards， sheworked at Peking University， the Foreign Languages Press， and otherorganizations. She had finally realized the dreams that had been bornat an early age.
11 0 Nature， the MatchmakerShe was a single woman in her fifties when she came to China.
As a devoted Christian， she believed God would arrange everything forher. She loved nature — the grass， the flowers， the trees， the insects，and the animals — all things belonging to the wilderness. She graspedevery opportunity to breathe the fresh air of the wild， and to let natureconsole her lonely soul. Maybe her kindheartedness and devotiontouched God and Mother Nature， as an unusual marriage was arrangedfor her thousands of miles away.
During a vacation in 1982， Marcia went birdwatching in Xishuangbanna，Yunnan Province. She happened to meet a Mr. Tang Xiyangin her hotel. Mr. Tang， chief editor of Nature magazine， whohad gone there to observe wild Asian elephants for an article on theenvironment. Their common pursuits， interests and age linked the twolonely hearts together， and a fated romance quietly began betweenthem. “What’s brought you here?” asked Tang. “Bird watching.”“Birdwatching? Why not go to the zoo? You can see all species there，” theWe Travel，surprised Tang asked. “They are not free. I have never seen birds at thezoo.” Upon hearing this， Mr. Tang couldn’t help feeling a great respectfor her unique attitude toward nature. He told Marcia that he was thereto observe and study Asian elephants for his book Living Treasures.
The theme of the new book caught her immediate attention. Marcialiked the book and promised to help publish it. She suggested the bookbe published not only in Chinese but in English as well. The joyfulTang jumped at the possibility. With common goals before them， theyinstantly established a strong rapport， though they had to conversethrough an interpreter. Their hearts must have communicated directly，untranslated， because even without verbal expression they fully understoodeach other’s feelings. common ideals and aspirations broughtthem together. On their very first collaboration they worked side byside， with Tang in charge of writing the book and Marcia in chargeof publishing it. They even went together to conduct field surveys.
