Rodrigo Cortez
Way of Thinking
To understand China is necessary to go beyond ordinary things. It is needed to comprehend the way Chinese think. During my study abroad I shared experiences and thoughts with Chinese students who study at Beijing Union University. Chinese and the “ocean people” as Gifford mentions on his book have a different view of the world, so it is very important to be familiarized with both cultures to understand them better. Their government, their interaction with the world, and their daily activities make Chinese way of thinking unique.
A controlling government has influenced the way Chinese people think. Chinese government controls all schools and universities in China, so common people grow up with communist education. Chinese government teaches that communism works, and it is the best socioeconomics system. A good example is the Rob Gifford interview to Lucy, a young member of the Communist Party who believes that “communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because they were not doing it right.” Chinese think that communism is working in China. When I talked with some BUU students about politics, they never mentioned communism or capitalism. However, communist ideas are present in the way they think. They never talked about having a personal business or moving to a better place, which is an effect of communism principles. Most of them just wanted to work for someone else including the government. I think that the communist education keeps Chinese expectations low, so they cannot perceive that they would have better opportunities in a different socioeconomic system. I believe that open mind people or people with big dreams would be frustrated in China.
Chinese way of thinking has been changing with globalization and interaction among China and others countries. A new generation with a different perception of the world and politics is growing up in China although the government tries to keep them isolated with policies such as the Great Firewall of China. Young people are more aware of Western culture, for example in topics related to clothing, music and celebrities. During my first week in China, I saw students wearing American brand t-shirts and hats such as Abercrombie & Fitch or GAP. A good example was Lawrence, a close friend of the group who hanged up with us in China. He had American style clothing and listened current pop music. In his iPhone he played for us some Lady Gaga and Daft Punk songs. He had also watched Friends, an American TV program, which shows how people live in the US. These examples show that this new generation of young people has some knowledge about Western culture. Emily, another girl interviewed by Gifford called it the “Me Generation”. The Ziwo Yidai or the Me Generation is very opened to new cultures and new ways of thinking.
A sense of community is present in Chinese people thinking. There are always aspects that suggest Chinese have a strong sense of family union in their daily activities. Hutongs, narrow streets in Beijing, are a good example of the Chinese sense of community. Every square in the Hutongs has a courtyard, which is shared by the houses around it. I remember when we went to the Hutongs in Beijing, there were neighbors washing clothes together in their courtyard. In addition, while watching the movie ‘To Live’, I saw how Chinese did their daily activities surrounded by their neighbors. Another important feature about the community sense is a wheel in the center of the table. This wheel also known as Lazy Susan in America was present in every meal that we had in China. This turntable helped us bring the food closer to each other; however, it required having patience and empathy with the other guesses. People have to wait until the other person is done to move the wheel; otherwise, it would be difficult to serve the food. All these examples helped me understanding the Chinese perspective of the world and the way they think.
Chinese government, their daily activities, and Chinese interaction with the world shaped this unique country and its citizens. Those are the main differences between the west and the east. I believe that without these experiences it would has been difficult to me to comprehend this culture. These experiences let me have a better understanding of the way they think and what they do.