Thoughts about Chinese Culture - Essay Example

Personal Testimony Before I left China, I never really thought very deeply about Chinese culture or even culture in general because I was basically part of it, it’s like appreciating a picture as it is being taken, you can really tell what it looks like very well. As I shall explain later, I believe being in a community where one is part of the majority does not make very a very good basis for cultural introspection. My understanding of culture was mainly from reading and experience is a way of life for a group that have a shared history or who co-exist with each other. In China, for example, there some marked differences in the way people act based on where they come from, their level of education and even social class. For example, the lifestyle of people in cities is very different from the provinces; in the former, people are materialistic and always focused on getting blue-collar jobs and other trappings of western life. While this applies to some extent in the villages, people tend to concentrate more and agricultural production and less on modernization making a journey from the heart of Shanghai to my parent’s rural home quiet an exciting stimulation for my cultural palate. A key difference I noticed in one of the visits is that people in the countryside tend to have a more communal mentality than those in towns. The community comes first then the individual; however, the urban mindset is quite different with people giving preference to their needs before they consider those of the community. From these experiences, I learnt that people are different from place to place and it is always good to understand how they think since it makes it easier to interact with them. Consequently, I would say my lesson in culture despite by unawareness of its important has proven very useful in helping me adapt to life when I found myself in a radically different cultural environment. In the United States, everything seemed so distinctly different, and I felt as if I had traveled into a different dimension altogether. My understanding of culture was exponentially broadened by this experience as I realized that even the small things I used to take for granted were an essential aspect of culture. Food, language mannerism and much other distinction that differentiate different peoples from each other are can all contribute to the concept of culture. My objective for travelling to the US was to further my education, my parents wanted me to expand both my intellectual and social-cultural horizons. To them, there was no better way of doing this than sending me to one of the most culturally diverse places on earth. From the minute I landed in the airport at Seattle, I was struck by how different everything was, people spoke dozens of languages most of which I could not understand. In some case, some were speaking English in such strange accents that I could not tell they were speaking it in the first place. I also found the cosmopolitan environment to very different from my home city in the fact that the people looked so different from each other. I have come to learn that there is a misguided notion and stereotype that all Chinese look alike. In reality, that is simply a product of cultural ignorance that sadly plagues many people who should know better, I was however struck by how different the people I saw looked. I saw hair colors I had only seen on TV and some, which I had never actually seen, before, there were numerous racial groups and while I must admit that in my nativity I somehow though most people would be white, there were various other ethnic groups around. I was quite nervous around all these people walking or lounging around with purposeful looks while I felt lost and small in a vast metropolis. Joining high school for me was one of the best experiences in my life both because I was eager to learn more about this new culture and also since I had for many years dreamt about studying in an American high school. The cultural shock I was experiencing in the streets and at home proved to be nearly insignificant, compared to my experience in the school. In China, the system is extremely exam oriented and from the first day in school, it appears all the effort is geared towards passing the Gakao exam. This involves grueling hours of study, examination and in many cases; I did as many as five hours of homework after school. Back home, we often had no say I subject choices, which were picked for us, and our part in school was simply to study and often cram to the best of our abilities. However, for my junior high school in the US, I came into an environment where studies were much more flexible and integrated with a series of co-curricular activities. While the system was still exam centered, it was not as grueling and one could choose some of the subjects they wanted to study. Nevertheless, I had a challenge dealing with my fiercely competitive attitude, which saw me wanting always to be at the top of every class not so much because I really cared about the subjects but only to be the best. However, with time, I have learnt how to align my priorities better and although I am still a good performer, I take more interest in learning for the sake of it rather than simply for exam purposes. I have also noticed striking differences in issue such as freedom of expression and the extent to which children can disagree with their parents and teachers. While expression was encouraged in China, there was a fine line between being open and rude and the worlds of elders had to be respected even if they were not one's parents. In class, students tend to disagree with teachers on a variety of issues and sometimes it appears to be getting out of hand. Teachers encourage this sort of behavior though it has taken me quite some time to understand the concept of open-mindedness and freedom. For many Americans, thinking about culture is not as automatic as it is for me, this is likely because I come from a minority community and the cultural difference appeared rather stark to me. Therefore, in the same way it is easier for women to think about gender issues than men, I found it more natural to consider cultural issues. However, I still have trouble understanding the American way of thinking since at times if find it paradoxical. I have come across people who think same-sex marriage is immoral, but they still oppose anti-gay legislation because they feel everyone has a right to live as they wish irrespective of public opinion. While I have gradually gotten around to understating these things, it is still hard for me to immerse myself in the American perspective. In Chinese culture, such contradictions are rare and people generally tend to be conservative about controversial subjects. However, I believe by difference puts me in a unique position to study and understand the American culture since I can see the picture from both outsider's and insider’s viewpoint. It is my hope that during my stay here, I can fulfill my parents’ wishes and expand my cultural horizons by learning and interacting with new ways of thinking, living and all that relates to human culture. In as much as we are all different, the three years I have lived in the US have taught me that there is no culture no matter how diverse of shocking that does not provide some lesson for outsiders who look keenly enough. Read More