China is magnificent.
This is how I describe to my students my assessment of China, and then
I add that I know what magnificence is because Canada is a magnificent country also.
The grandeur of the landscape is unsurpassed. There is even a Chinese Grand Canyon
here. There are flat open prairies that some undiscerning people find dull. But there
are also more mountainous areas than you would expect. China has great natural beauty.
"There are no beggars in China."
This is the official statement but it isn't true.
There are beggars but they are limited to certain areas and are not usually aggressive. A
visitor would not be accosted by beggars. However, those begging are in a terrible state
of physical deformity and it is sad to see. There are always a few men "living" in a warm passage
at the East Guangzhou Railroad Station.
Chinese are curious about what we think about China.
Chinese students are extremely curious about Western culture and how it differs from theirs. They
want to know the what, how and whys of their college counterparts. They have all watched English
TV shows and Hollywood movies, yet they are quite sheltered from the world, in general. It reminds
me of the 1950's when students were comparatively innocent. This makes for an extremely pleasant
teaching situation. At the same time, China is a very self-confident country. The crown of 6000 years
of history is worn proudly, as it should be. But, since China is the place of many paradoxes, the students
still want to assured that they are modern and good enough. They often want to talk about the One-Child
policy and are open about it. No student has ever brought up Tiananmen Square. I think that they are
largely in the dark about it. Also, many students want to know if we are Christian, and want to talk. When
we explain that our contract doesn't allow this beyond a very superficial conversation, they are surprised.
There are few foreigners in China.
Of course there are thousands of foreigners in China on any given day, but usually Don and I are the only
visible foreigners in sight. This is true for about 95% of the time. This has actually been a big surprise since
Guangzhou would have as many foreigners as any place in China. Some areas in the city have a foreign
presence. One is the wholesale fashion district where you see African and Middle Eastern foreigners. Many
are permanent residents. Then in the tourist areas, such as the famous shopping street Beijing Lu, you will
see North Americans and Europeans. But on the metro, we are almost always the only ones in sight. People stare
out of curiosity and we are used to that. Just for your information, the only time I was shoved over on
the metro was by a Middle Eastern man. The Chinese would never do that. But they would rush in front of
you to get in first. The metro system is working on that with lines drawn on the floor, and security guards trying to
queue people up.
China is a land of paradoxes.
A Gucci/Rolex brand name mall can be right beside, or near, an alley where people draw water from a cement cistern.
There is obvious extreme wealth alongside abject poverty. There is a rising middle class and many of the students
come from middle class families. At the same time, many come from poor agricultural villages. The mix of students is
encouraging. As an example, one student was raised in the mountains where his family owned a factory that makes
periscopes for the navy. His family has provided the workers in this isolated mountain village with all the community
services. He was educated at a boarding school. Other students are probably the only educated person from their village.
One boy talked about his mother going from house to house to solicit money because she couldn't pay his tuition.
Many have fathers who are taxi drivers or small restaurant owners. Most of the students would classify themselves as "traditional"
even though many have expectations and relationships that would not be considered traditional.
The Chinese language.
Forget it! It is just impossible!
We have learned to recognize a few words, but it is so difficult.
Don is able to tell taxi drivers how to get up home. If we ever came
again I would make more of an effort to speak more phrases. I would
especially try to learn a few characters so the writing could be understood, a little. That
might be possible.
I like the following picture because it illustrates one of the paradoxes in China.
You never really know what people truly think. (Politeness hides a lot.)
These two students were party boys. One missed a quiz altogether and both
came an hour late for another. ( Unusual, and "modern.") Yet they had great presentations, since you
can see they have charisma. Then, for their interviews they surprised me with
real concern for their country, etc. Then they wanted a photo with me.
OK, I know that the final grade hasn't been issued yet.
They remain a paradox.
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