Wednesday, May 10, 2006
What is Chinese?
I was a guest writer in Matt and Corrine Haning's montly newsletter. Here's what I wrote about China for their friends and family!
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Having done a couple major reports on the country of China in 5th and 8th grades, I thought I had some solid answers to the question, "What is Chinese?" I could recite the population, draw the flag, recall some stories about Wang Lung, the Chinese farmer in Pearl S. Buck's "The Good Earth." I knew about the one-child policy and the Great Wall and Taiwan's struggle for independence. I knew all these things, but sitting in a taxi with Corrine, and watching the hustle and bustle of a large Chinese city pass me by, I realized I actually knew almost nothing about life in this country.
If I were asked to draw a picture of "things Chinese," I could probably scribble out a couple pandas, a bowl of rice and a picture of Mao, but I still knew nothing very substantial about Chinese culture. Having lived in Japan for the last 2 years, if you were to ask me what I thought about this country, you wouldn't be able to stop me from rambling on and on. So, although I already had this idea of what China would be like (or should be like according to my school reports) China caught me off guard.
There are plenty of things about Chinese culture that you rarely see in books, split pants and spitting to begin with! If the Hanings haven't already told you about split pants, they're hiding something from you! Then we have the cacophony of car horns, bike bells and cell-phone shouters. Streets are complete chaos; bikes, taxis, rickshaws, pedestrians all going in any direction at any time. The popularity of Pizza Hut and Starbucks. The crowds. Bird on a stick. Public urination. The regulation of the internet. The undervalued currency. Milk teas. A society of only-children. The sound of the Chinese language and the feel of Yuan between your fingers. All these things you can never fully understand until you put down the books and travel to the country. While I don't undervalue the importance of my school reports, I realize their limitations. For those of you who are hesitant to visit China, I strongly encourage you do so. The Hanings are wonderful guides!
Corrine and Matt, for your patience, hospitality and a very special introduction to Chinese life and culture, thank you.
____________________________________________________
Having done a couple major reports on the country of China in 5th and 8th grades, I thought I had some solid answers to the question, "What is Chinese?" I could recite the population, draw the flag, recall some stories about Wang Lung, the Chinese farmer in Pearl S. Buck's "The Good Earth." I knew about the one-child policy and the Great Wall and Taiwan's struggle for independence. I knew all these things, but sitting in a taxi with Corrine, and watching the hustle and bustle of a large Chinese city pass me by, I realized I actually knew almost nothing about life in this country.
If I were asked to draw a picture of "things Chinese," I could probably scribble out a couple pandas, a bowl of rice and a picture of Mao, but I still knew nothing very substantial about Chinese culture. Having lived in Japan for the last 2 years, if you were to ask me what I thought about this country, you wouldn't be able to stop me from rambling on and on. So, although I already had this idea of what China would be like (or should be like according to my school reports) China caught me off guard.
There are plenty of things about Chinese culture that you rarely see in books, split pants and spitting to begin with! If the Hanings haven't already told you about split pants, they're hiding something from you! Then we have the cacophony of car horns, bike bells and cell-phone shouters. Streets are complete chaos; bikes, taxis, rickshaws, pedestrians all going in any direction at any time. The popularity of Pizza Hut and Starbucks. The crowds. Bird on a stick. Public urination. The regulation of the internet. The undervalued currency. Milk teas. A society of only-children. The sound of the Chinese language and the feel of Yuan between your fingers. All these things you can never fully understand until you put down the books and travel to the country. While I don't undervalue the importance of my school reports, I realize their limitations. For those of you who are hesitant to visit China, I strongly encourage you do so. The Hanings are wonderful guides!
Corrine and Matt, for your patience, hospitality and a very special introduction to Chinese life and culture, thank you.
