Why I Love China
poetwarrior  Updated: 2004-12-27 09:30

Last fall I returned to the US after finishing the 2004 spring- summer semester teaching at a university in Tianjin. I was born in the US, raised in Scotland, and classically educated at a boys' school, finishing my bachelor's level education in the states at Vanderbilt University, later taking a master's in IT and finishing a doctorate elsewhere in mathematical and experimental psychology.

Becoming a young man, I served in the military, having honours from the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California (Lo these many years ago now). After this, I worked and lived around the world teaching English and languages and working with a small plethora of refugee resettlement programs and international aid programs.

I have lived in poor countries, for example Bosnia / Hercegovina comes to mind... where they still have water brought by lorry in small towns. And I've lived in communist countries, especially the former CCCP/ USSR, where sometimes the "controls" set by the government are not comfortable for the naive westerners who seem to prefer their governments control the masses by information flow - such as the media - or rather, by lack of information - by not having live media feed available on the television and radio, and be spoonfed by talking heads.

Overall I have lived in 6 countries- and I mean six months or more in each; in several cases much more. I have visited well over 30 countries. Too I am a polyglot so 5 languages are not a problem for me, with zhongwen coming in as my 6th language now. So... I am well aware of the what we in the international community call the "honeymoon" cultural phenomenon... wherein a person arrives at a new country and virtually falls in love with the country and its culture.

I am not a "nuggie" or a "new guy" or a new kid on the block in China. Been there, done that, going back soon.

What I share here is my perspective on what is important about China - and why is it different and succeeding ahead from all other countries in the world today?

The News
One thing I really like about Chinese media is seeing international news - the live feed clips. I havve seen so much more on China television, and opposing opinions presented openly - than I ever saw on "The Beeb" (BBC) or CNN/ABC/NBC/CBS/CBC. The Beeb presents short video clips heavily edited, and the translations they provide are unabashedly "PC", politically correct. Sometimes I laugh out loud when I see Spanish, Russian, German, or Portuguese translations of "What this guy is saying" fed to the audience. Nothing seems to fit in the western news.. except one little piece here and there - in a context they (the news writers) provide.

But this year I came to China for the first time and all in all really came to love China. The news is presented with dissenting views. I saw American views and interviewees, right alongside Arabic public officials, on China TV. In the west all you almost ever see is the same picture of Osama, trotted out and placed in the background - with the television talking head saying something like "This is the number one terrorist" or "bad guy". Or something along the lines of “God bless America... and the rest of the world is not right...” On China TV you get something which almost died in the west: INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING, with interviews in vivo. Do you see that in the west - for example in the "war" in Iraq - except through the controlled eyes of "embedded reporters"? Unfortunately not.

In my opinion realistic journalism died a hard death in the west. Today there are merely puppets on the television in America... and fat, uninformed MacDonald's stuffing people consuming their saturated fat news along with their biggie french fries and big Macs.

The Beeb is undergoing surgery as of this writing as we all know, and if the trend towards political correctness, its evisceration will be complete; and then we can watch sterile little Teletubbies presenting the news alongside Disney yanks - and the wealthy can turn all "reporting" into a happy informercial!

The People
Come to China as a wei guo ren and you WILL hear people yelling "Hello!" from every side, and unexpectedly. This is true. After you get used to it, you learn you can strike up a limited conversation there sometimes. Sometimes not; you are a minority and you have to ACCEPT this, OK? Know what I mean? Not a victim, a foreigner. Accept your difference and it will become your strength.

The people all know reading and math well; test them how you wish. I am a retired mathematician and found the vast majority of Chinese knowing history - and willing to share i; with curiosity - and willing to explore open ended topics personably; and with alacrity which they will gently test you to see where your zones are.

FLEXIBILITY is the key. Did not the ancient Taoists say this? If you are flexible and can get over having people approach you in an unfamiliar fashion - you WILL be surprised. This is because you will find FRIENDS in places you never dreamed of. Trust me.

Chinese people WILL probe you. You look funny here. You look foreign. You must be an adult here in China; no cry babies allowed.

If you are adult you can stand and talk for a long time with the people every day because they all want the same thing YOU want: a future. I opened my eyes and found business - this is the dragon appearing at every corner in China.

Enthusiasm
Talk to a Chinese person about the possibility of working with a new business in China with you as a foreigner. They become EBULLIENT. Compare that with the dull westerners who: either have 2 jobs to make ends meet and are overworked into oblivion; or - have no jobs and so gave up... and thus the "unemployment figures look great" in the west because the deception is that most people are employed since the unemployment rate is about 5%.

Chinese people have a FUTURE.
The thirteen thousand million people of China have hope. Their buildings are spreading like spring blossoms. I don';t want to sound pollyanna here, true. But compare the buildings of the cities you see in China with the dull - and greying skylines of Cleveland or Detroit or Liverpool or say even (east) London. It is as obvious as the nose on your face: which one feels better? The sparkle is what I found in China. Not the west.

Do you feel the royalty or the western oil companies have your best interests at heart when you walk about the dull cement streets of Washington, unemployed and too ashamed to say it? Let's get real here shall we? So many people can come to China and find open arms merely because YOU speak English! How easy could that be? Would you rather sling hamburgers for a minimum wage - which will not even support a family of three - or would you rather live in China where you can get a job so easily even by merely speaking English?

Health Care
If you do have an open chest wound, true enough in the west - you will not be refused a place in western ERs. (emergency Rooms). Otherwise... you go to a western hospital and you will sit down for a lengthy interview about your insurance, conducted by a clark who is inches away from that hamburger-slinging job at MacDonald's and glad to be out of the fast food industry.

Do I exaggerate? Of course.

But there is more than a grain of truth there.

In China I received almost instant health care on several occations, and the questions were always asked later. Getting my symptoms treated were job one...

The down sides
China may not like me to talk about these following things. But in the interest of openness I present them. One issue is beggars. The fact - from where I am sitting - is: there are more than a few shysters. Some are plainly conning the public. But the truth is - there are some disabled and really sad cases out ther and THEY DO need help. I gave to them. I hope you do too. Until they are helped - they will be out there. My advice is to learn to spot the needy ones and help them. YOU - as the foreigner - can help. I did and am proud of it.

Therer IS poverty in China. This we do not like to talk about. The issue is not that however. The issue is this: ***What are you doing about it?

Certainly you will not be able to walk around and help everyone. Not even one in ten. Not even one in a hundred. But - if you really want to walk the walk, do this. Find someone, perhaps one person in China... and MAKE A DIFFERENCE with him or her. Just that ONE. There is where it all starts.

Where Is The Future?
Until a westerner can prove to me that he or she has helped with money... helped with a job... helped tutoring for free... helped by working with a disabled person... - I COMPLETELY discount that westerner. Listen with your eyes, westerners! You can talk about "Oh! The Chinese system does this and does that..." but I ask you this: what have YOU done about it?

Until you can tell me what *you have done to be a real and active member of China in some way other than going there and buying a bunch of pretty souvenirs... your opinion does not count.

Not to me at least.

Thank you for reading.

Todd Stewart
firstsamuraipoet@yahoo.co.uk

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