Procrastination, An Addendum

To be fair, the previous post characterizing the harmonizing tendency of Chinese society doesn't necessarily cover ALL of Chinese society. After all, trying to characterize any group of 1.3 billion people is a very difficult, if not impossible task. China is slowly assimilating more "Western" values, such as individualism, human rights and free speech. I call them "Western," because they are predominately traits found in the United States and European countries. China was getting along fine without any of those things for a while, at least in their eyes.

No, really. One of my Chinese roommates here at Peking University once told me, "You guys think human rights are really important. Here in China... it's not a big deal." And in terms of the education system, the 高考 Gāo Kǎo, or College Entrance Exam, is actually the most fair way to deal with the millions of high school seniors vying for only a few thousand spots at the nation's top universities; it's just unfortunate that the byproduct of such a fair examination system is an education culture that emphasizes information acquisition over analysis. But free speech holds some promise.

The internet has been an amazing tool for promoting free speech in China. While being over-zealous or over-critical of the government online can still result in exile or imprisonment, people have been able to exercise their voices like never before, partially because they can find strength in numbers. You see, the government has a very real fear of its own people, because, as you can guess, a revolution by the Chinese people would be very, very difficult to suppress. It has actually created a fascinating dynamic between the party in power and the people it "controls." Just look at the move by senior members of the Politburo to promote free speech for the media, or the online movements condemning the corruption among the hierarchy of the Communist Party.

So yes, the attitude of "harmonization," from my experiences in China over the past six months, is definitely the prevalent attitude across the country, but things are changing, and they are changing quickly.

Because I Haven't Procrastinated Enough Yet...

I am now precisely 203 hours away from leaving the tarmac of Beijing Airport bound for the good ol' US of A. Discounting my brief two weeks in Nebraska this August, and my four days in Seoul a couple weeks ago, I have been in China for approximately 170 days. And in 170 days, I have learned more than I ever thought possible about a culture I was clueless about 18 months ago.  At one point I'll make a cute little list of experiences á la Miles Grimshaw, but until then I'm going to wax eloquent on the single most important thing I think I have learned in my time here, and that is that the Chinese mentality is fundamentally different from that of America, or even much of the rest of the world. Not necessarily better or worse, simply... different.

Let me make something clear. Before coming to China, I understood that there were cultural points that were different around the world. The role of the female, for example, varies widely from region to region. Educational practices, as well, differ depending on what country (or even city) you find yourself in. Courtesy and etiquette obviously fit into this little schematic too. But never did I think the role of the individual would be so completely muted as it is in China.

That's it. That's my big revelation. Chinese society places a higher premium on the pursuit of a "harmonious society," than on the pursuit of individual happiness. I know, I know, this is like China 101. I know that it's one of the first things a student of China learns and it's one of the first things any Chinese person will tell you too. But there's a difference between "knowing" something by reading it in a textbook or hearing it second-hand and actually living it every single day. See, when you learn it through a textbook, you think maybe it's just a generalization, maybe in practice people are actually more individualistic and independent than you think. But... that's where you'd be wrong.

서울: Seoul vs Beijing

Alright, four days in Seoul and six months in Beijing doesn't quite allow for a just comparison, but I'm going to make one all the same. Interestingly enough, our small group of Yalies who went to Seoul were split on which city we liked better, which just goes to show it very much depends on personal preference.

Food

Seoul - In terms of a typical meal in Seoul, restaurant food is healthy and street food is incredibly varied and delicious; the proliferation of Starbucks and lack of McDonalds/KFC are also pluses in my book.

Beijing - Due to its incredible size and ex-pat community, Beijing has many incredible 

gourmet restaurants that deliver quality meals from all around the world, so you can dine well... or you can eat for cheap in any hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

Transportation

Seoul - Seoul has the most extensive subway system I've ever seen, and much bigger subway cars than Beijing. The bus system seems to be pretty extensive too. The taxis are also very cheap, although they might not take you short distances.

The Relationship Post

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the nature of relationships lately, specifically of the romantic variety (probably because I don't have one... sigh). In China, I find relationships, and how they're carried out, to be completely puzzling at times, and definitely unlike the dating culture one finds in America.

The Chinese relationship follows a very exact formula that hasn't seen much deviation in some time (although that may be changing). In high school, it's simple and straightforward: one does not date. In Chinese society, high schoolers are not considered old or mature enough to form one-on-one relationships with each other. It's an age of what Americans would call protracted innocence. Girls dress very "cute" and don't really have male friends; their behaviors would be more associated with "'tweens" in America than high school teenagers. Add to that the rigid structure of the Chinese school system, and there's no chance for trying out one's emotional maturity. After all, who has time? Everyone is studying for the 高考 gāo kǎo, the single most important exam in a Chinese student's life. The score on this national exam determines what universities you can be admitted into, and consequently, what kind of job you will end up having. So dating in high school is not only too soon, it's too time-consuming.

Let's move on. You've taken the gaokao, you've gotten into college, what do you do now? Well, you find your soul mate.

大连: One Family's Dynamic

Note: A few months flitting about various locales in China, and a few books read on Chinese society definitely don’t make me an expert, so please don’t take my words as absolute truth. These are simply my observations and my attempt to categorize them into transmittable ideas for those back at home who will never have the opportunities I have been blessed with to experience such an incredible culture first-hand.

I feel like the dynamics in a Chinese family are as varied as those all across America. After all, people are all different, so it would follow that the families of one society, although very similar across the board, would have different micro-structures. In China, these differences are further amplified by the uneven way in which modernization is happening across the country. A rural family and an urban family have their differences, and even within the category of urban families, the poor and the wealthy obviously have their differences too.

I had the pleasure of staying with the family of a Chinese friend this weekend in Dalian, a modern coastal city. They were a perfect example of the blend of modern and traditional that coexist in Chinese society. The parents were both very easy-going and willing to talk about any subject, even government. Notice I said, “both.” It seemed to me that even though the father was “head” of the household, the mother did not play a subservient role. She was respected, as she should be. Both she and her husband run their own separate companies. Yet at the same time, my friend explained to me, she was very traditional and conservative with the way she looked after her daughter. My friend cannot get her ears pierced nor wear make-up, and is expected to wear clothing that, relative to her age of 21, is fairly juvenile. To be fair, this only stems partially from tradition; the other part is that the mother does not want her only child to grow up (according to said child). 

In another strange juxtaposition of modern and traditional, my Saturday evening went from shopping at some of the most luxurious designer stores in the world to burning paper money on the side of the street to honor dead ancestors. Allow me to digress. Saturday evening, as I explained in a previous post, my host parents took their daughter and me to Dalian's most ritzy mall, where we browsed around stores like Louis Vuitton, Fendi and the like. I was already aware that this family was comfortably adjusted to a more materialistic consumer culture, as they had picked me up in a fully-equipped BMW sedan and then introduced me to their very Western-style home:

In addition, they had taken me to a Western restaurant for dinner, and while I obviously loved it, they also greatly enjoyed the international buffet themselves. I admit, I didn't see much of the traditional Chinese culture I had read about up until this point. Then, as we were driving back to the apartment from the restaurant, I saw various groups of people huddled about little fires along the sides of the streets. I asked my friend why there were so many people with their own little fires going, and she said that they were worshiping their ancestors. Apparently, this past Saturday, November 6th, was the first day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar, a day where Chinese traditionally burn paper money to deliver to the afterworld for both their ancestors and their own use when their time comes.

I was thinking that it was pretty interesting to observe from inside the car as we sped along the road back to the apartment. But then we stopped. The dad got out, went and bought something, then got back in the car. We continued to head back to the apartment. Then, on the long road leading from the main road to the apartment complex, the dad pulled along the side of the road, and we all got out. I circled around the car and saw him pull out HUGE stacks of paper money, along with three bottles of alcohol. I then watched as they walked over to the sidewalk and began to burn each sheet of paper money, one by one. It was so fascinating to watch. There was no real ceremony or ritual to it; just slowly feeding paper to the fire. Each of the family members did take a bottle of alcohol and spread it around the fire in a circle. What an eerie contradiction. Here was this modernly-dressed family, straight out of an extremely modern car, doing an incredibly old Chinese ritual on the sidewalk of a city street. I helped a little bit when stray bills flew away, so I guess I have a few dollars waiting for me in the afterlife. Otherwise, I just watched it all slowly burn away, guaranteeing my host family a fortune in the life to come.

Other experiences, in a nutshell, included going to the health club inside the apartment complex and having to deal with naked females of all ages parading around the locker room. Nudity in single-sex shower areas is apparently the norm in China, something that completely shocked me the first time I walked into Peking University's gym locker room. Also, the father very much enjoyed encouraging me to drink basically anything and everything. Wine and some kind of coconut alcohol at dinner, beer at lunch, and more coconut alcohol for the train ride back to Beijing. Oh, and then there was the dumpling-making session I had with my friend's mother. That, however, is yet another post to come...

College Kids and Cultural Conflicts

Caveat: This is not the nicest of blog posts, but the purpose of this blog is to let friends and family know about my experience of living in China, and this topic has played a major role in that experience. Therefore, this entry might not be very PC. Apologies.

One thing about the Yale-PKU program that had me very excited was the opportunity to live with a real, live Chinese college student. I was so excited to learn about Chinese culture first-hand. Now, I knew there would probably be times where our cultures would bring us into some conflict, but I was excited for that too. It would be an opportunity to open dialogue on the differences in our cultures and allow us to help understand each other better.

No. Conflicts are stressful, especially when both parties are operating under different sets of rules. My recent conflicts with some of the Chinese students, while certainly not indicative of Chinese culture as a whole, has illuminated just how wide the cultural gulf stretches. As you can guess, one of these instances was very recent. But first, I'll give you a general sense of some of the more stress-inducing characters in this little drama.

新疆: Conclusions

When we left for Xinjiang, I thought I had no expectations for what I was going to see, but that ended up being completely false. I had to have some kind of expectations, because otherwise I wouldn't have been so surprised by what I saw.

Most important realization first: Chinese people are not all Chinese
...or at least, not the traditional Western perception of Chinese. I thought I had realized that fact after going to the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park, but I wasn't prepared for the stark difference in culture between the Han Chinese and the Muslim Uighers. To me, they're truly two different races of people living under the same national flag... and unfortunately, they seem to be two unequal races.

1.3 Billion + Me

It's common knowledge that China's population is ridiculous. Anyone who learns of your impending trip to China will tell you to "be ready to fight the crowds." I had absolutely no idea just how much of an understatement that would turn out to be.

There is literally no escaping the constant anxiety that comes with being in a crowd. You deal with it in every facet of your life. Examples:

• ordering food
• shopping for groceries
• paying for anything
• walking or biking along the streets*
• going to the market
• visiting tourist destinations
• taking a bus or subway
• flagging down a cab
• sitting in class

新疆: Part 3

Kashgar, China, was just a quick 90 minute flight out of Urumqi. For those keeping score at home, think of flying from Kearney to Denver. Same general direction, not-so-drastic change in altitude. Kashgar (also known as Kashi) is a decently-sized city located at one of the most fascinating crossroads in the world.

新疆: Part 2

So where were we? The first day in Urumqi, I think. Before we move on from that, I'm just going to share a few scenes from the streets of the city.

1. Even if you're a Muslim woman who has to cover yourself from head to toe, you can still rock sparkly clothes, interesting skirts, and some pretty pointy heels.

新疆: Part 1

As one of my previous posts stated, I spent my first day in Beijing in preparation to leave the next. During orientation, we Yale students were surprised with a pre-commencement trip to 新疆 Xīnjiāng (Xinjiang Province) on the complete opposite side of the country. Now I knew next to nothing about Xinjiang, and our internet wasn't working in the dorm, so I didn't have the chance that evening to do some quick research. All I did was pack for a Nebraska fall (ready for heat or cold) and hope that would get me through the five days. What little I gleaned as I prepared for the trip with the other seven Yale students was this:

• Xinjiang has been host to some serious ethnic tensions in recent years between one of the minority groups, the Muslim Uighers, and the majority Han Chinese who had been moving in to "modernize" the area.
• Its principal city, Urumqi, was pretty large with a couple million people.
• Since it was Ramadan, a lot of people wouldn't be eating during the day.
• The cities we'd be visiting bordered some serious desert and mountains. We'd be going to the hottest spot in China. We would also be eating lots of grapes, which were apparently a specialty of the region.
• Xinjiang would feel a lot like Inner Mongolia since they're so close and share a lot of customs. Great.

Mooncakes and Drama Queens

Let's get down to business (to defeat the Huns - sorry, couldn't resist). I'm way behind on my blogging, but the life here at 北京大学 Běijīng Dàxué (Peking University) is so much more fast-paced than I anticipated. This might turn into a regressive blog for a while as I try to play catch-up, so here we go.

Today was the famous and much-celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival. That is to say, 中秋节 Zhōngqiūjié. Celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar, the festival coincides with the autumnal equinox, when the moon is supposedly at its fullest and brightest. The traditional way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival is by hanging out with your family and eating mooncakes under the moon. However, since Mid-Autumn Festival falls on a Wednesday this year, and our roommates have American "guests," of sorts, they elected to stay on campus and be our stand-in "family."

家常便饭？

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家常便饭 - jiācháng biànfàn

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Roughly translated, this little idiom means "home cooking, simple meal," or at least that's what our textbook tells us. I'll admit, I haven't really done as well as I could have at assimilating to Chinese cuisine. It's actually pretty delicious once you become accustomed to it, but I realized I was just too used to the American style of eating a variety of food from all over the world. So I might have missed out on the whole "home cooking, simple meal" aspect of Chinese food. Here, in pictures, are some of my eating experiences in Beijing, and yes, Binh Doan, this is (almost) entirely for you.

中华民族园

Alright, busting out one more since I know I'm not going to touch my blog this weekend. Luckily it's mostly pictures.

This past Saturday I went with my 中国家庭 zhongguo jiating (Chinese family) and another HBA student to the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park, sometimes called the China Nationalities Museum (locally known as 中华民族园 zhonghua minzu yuan). It was definitely interesting and informative, but I think more could be done with it. It's just one of those under-appreciated treasures in Beijing; much of the time it felt like we were the only ones in the park.

Hitting the Upswing

Well, it's finally happened. This past weekend, with only two weeks to go before our much-anticipated graduation, I finally hit the upswing of the study-abroad curve. I realized I was really, really happy about being in Beijing. Given the tenor of some of my past posts, this may come as a surprise. It certainly surprised me.

When I got back to Beijing from Inner Mongolia, I found that I was fed up with everything about the city: the constant humidity, the awful smells, the pushy people, the miscommunications, the food, the transportation issues, the distance from home, and the incredible expectations of our teachers. I was scared that I was making the mistake of my life committing to spending another FOUR MONTHS here in the fall.

But then, all of the sudden, everything wasn't such a Greek tragedy.

Party in the PRC

So... Friday was my 21st birthday. Yep, the big 2-1. And ironically, I celebrated shedding the restraints of many American laws in China, where said laws don't matter at all. But my friends were not about to let that little detail stop them from giving me a night to remember in Beijing :)

First, of course, all the teachers somehow knew it was my birthday (I had told a couple, but I guess word spreads fast), so they kept wishing me happy birthday throughout the morning. Although, I have to say, waking up to a 考试 kaoshi (test) was not the greatest way to start my 21st birthday. But it definitely got better. At our bi-weekly 中文桌子 zhongwen zhuozi (Chinese table), everyone sang me "Happy Birthday" (in Chinese of course), and proceeded to hoist their glasses and 干杯! ganbei! which is the Chinese equivalent to "Cheers!" Given the number of birthdays that have occurred over 中文桌子 during HBA (mine was either the fourth or fifth), Friday lunch has almost become the unofficial birthday lunch.

内蒙古: Partying

Friday, 2:00 PM, on the bus to Beijing

It’s been an interesting 24 hours. After finishing our game of Spades, I left Natalee and Florence’s room and crashed until 6:30 the next morning, when I headed down to the 5^th floor for a Chinese-style breakfast buffet. Most of it was pretty gross, to my tastes. I don’t understand the Chinese tendency of pickling food, I really don’t. I also don’t get their preference for hot drinks. It’s not bad, but it just doesn’t taste satisfying. I had to ask the waiter for ice water. He thought it was a really strange request, but went to the kitchen to fulfill it anyway. He came back with a giant bowl filled with water and a few flecks of ice… I didn’t know if I was supposed to drink it or wash my hands in it.

内蒙古: Adjusting

Monday, 8:30 AM, on the bus

Overall, I have to say I’m glad I’m doing this trip, and I’m happy to have the experience under my belt, but I don’t think I’d ever sign up to do it again. The reward so far hasn’t been worth the discomfort. Additionally, I feel like this trip was not well-planned. We have too much “do nothing” time. Yesterday, we had hours of “do nothing” time, punctuated by an unexciting horse ride and a bland dinner.

I’m frustrated, I miss home. I almost think the 4-day Chinese village (another research trip possibility) would have been preferable given the free time I would have had in Beijing.

The one thing that makes this trip really worth it so far is the scenery. It’s so much like Texas in composition and Nebraska in form. The scrubby grass, the low undulating hills as far as you can see, and the stars… the stars are home. I keep forgetting how awe-inspiring they are. It’s no wonder someone thought to name our galaxy the Milky Way. It really looks like there’s a milky rainbow stretched across the sky.

讨价还价ing Like It's My Job

Even though I already went to the 秀水街 Xiushuijie (Silk Market) with my mom a few weeks ago, I just couldn't seem to stay away. It's just so enthralling... the shops, the sounds, the silk! We're talking about six stories of rows and rows of stalls, selling 各种各样 gezhonggeyang (all kinds) of products, almost all of which were fakes. If I didn't believe China's reputation for being able to fake anything before coming here, I believe it now. Working my way from the top floor down, I had the opportunity to buy knock-off:

...pearls, Tumi luggage, jade jewelery, the entire Apple family (including the iPhone 4), Rolexes, Tiffany's jewelry, designer headbands, Chinese antiques, silk artwork, "designer" clothing (Abercrombie, Burberry, Ed Hardy, Juicy Couture, Polo Ralph Lauren, True Religion), "designer" handbags (Burberry, Chanel, Coach, Gucci, LeSportSac, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, Prada, among others), Nikes, Converses, and Uggs, not to mention the pirated movies and many TV seasons available...

America Night in Beijing

Miracle of miracles, I was actually able to see the celebrated Toy Story 3 in all of its 3D glory right here in Beijing, and it was even in ENGLISH! I was ecstatic, especially since I thought I was going to have to wait until August, or even (gasp!) December to see "Pixar's best movie yet."

You see, even all the way over here in Beijing, we heard all the hype. Among my classmates, one of the most conversation-generating topics was the fact that everyone's 脸书 lianshu (lit. "face-book") News Feed was covered with comments from home about how Toy Story 3 was the most incredible movie ever. So it came as no surprise that, after our program organizer announced a voluntary excursion to see the movie in English, we nearly overwhelmed her with numbers.