‘A true outsider’s perspective’: Lenora Chu on the power of cultural influences (audio)

Wherever she works, Lenora Chu, the Monitor’s special correspondent for Europe, is as attentive to the sweep of history as to the nuance and detail of day-to-day life. A keen observer of culture and politics, she exhibits in her writing a sensitivity to human emotion and deeper meanings underlying the news.

That’s unsurprising, given Lenora’s own background as the U.S.-born grandchild of migrants who fled China during the 1949 Communist revolution. After growing up in the United States, Lenora launched into journalism and retraced her roots to China, finding during a decade of living in Shanghai that her personal connections there amplified her reactions to unfolding events.

Now in Berlin, Lenora says it’s refreshing to be free of the baggage of such ancestral ties. She enjoys discovering what makes Germans tick, and she’s particularly energized by the relative openness of people in Germany and how they welcome her into their lives. During the pandemic, many of her encounters have shifted to Zoom. But still, Lenora digs deep, unearthing the rich insights that illuminate her articles.

One of her insights is counterintuitive: It can actually feel liberating to have a government set down clear guidance and limits for the public during a health crisis – as German Chancellor Angela Merkel has done. In contrast, too much choice – such as exists in the U.S. – can end up creating burdens for individuals, she observes.

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