Rodrigo Cortez
East vs. West
Going to China is a different experience that has opened my mind to a whole new society, which has differences because of its physical distance and its background. I think that people cannot understand the Chinese culture without visiting China. People imagine or know some random facts about China. There are some well-known differences between the East an the West such as buildings, manners, and landscapes that people already know; however, I think the two main differences are the way they have been governed and the behaviors and human interactions.
The first main difference between the Eastern and the Western society is the way they have been governed. On one hand, Chinese families also known for historians as dynasties have ruled China for almost two thousands years. The first of them was the Qin Dynasty lead by the emperor Qin Shi Huang. As Gifford described him, “Qin was the first man to unify China, in 221 before Christ, and as such is remembered as China’s First Emperor.” While visiting Xian we could visits the Terracotta Army, which were built to guard his tomb in the afterlife. Like Qin Dynasties other dynasties built gorgeous buildings and structures such as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, or the Summer Palace to show the world how powerful they were. On the other hand in the US, a democracy where people can vote and chose his authorities has been present for years. People vote for presidents who continue a legacy and respect the established constitution. They never have tried to rewrite history all over again like dynasties had done. They continue a process that allows the country to go forward and progress. I believe that this difference allows the US and other democratic countries to have a better economy and fairly distribution of the wealth.
The second main difference between these two societies is the way their citizens behave and interact with other people. In my first week in China, I realize that Chinese do not like physical contact with other people; for example, we never shake hands or hug a Chinese student no matter if we knew him very well. In America after a while of sharing time with someone, it is natural to have more physical contact like hugs or cuddling. Lawrence, a good friend of us in China was an exception among Chinese students. He did not have problems with physical contact because he has been in touch with Western culture through music, clothing, and TV shows. He knew pretty well how Americans behave so was easy for him to integrate with the group. A good place for Chinese to familiarize with Western culture is karaoke. According to Gifford, “in China, whatever there are people, there are karaoke parlors. In fact, where there are no people, there are karaoke parlors.” When the group went to a karaoke in Beijing, we sang American songs with Chinese students who knew most of the lyrics. American songs lyrics allow Chinese to know about how people from the West think and act. I think that Chinese people will be more influenced from Western cultures little by little; for example, I met a Chinese girl in the airplane on my way to Beijing who was studying in USA with a study abroad program from a Chinese university. She was listening to American music and reading People, a magazine about American celebrities. The BUU also encourages Americans to study a term or even to transfer to BUU. This kind of programs will bring China more presence of Western traditions and lifestyles.
After this experience in China, I have a better understanding of their culture and background. BUU’s lectures let me know about the existence of Chinese dynasties through its history. Without the experience of seeing what these dynasties built or made, it would be very difficult to understand what they mean to Chinese. Going to sites as the Summer Palace or the Great Wall of China changed my perception about the Chinese dynasties. Experiences and interactions with Chinese students helped me to understand about common Chinese behaviors and manners. I believe that without this trip it could have been difficult for me to have a complete knowledge about China.