Still in China

Beijing…so far

Woo… I’ve been in China for two weeks! My original intent with this article was to focus on China and how a Westerner (me) interacts with this different environment. Of course, I am still not an expert in Chinese culture; I am merely sharing my experience with those who may be interested. My goal is not to paint a glowing picture of Chinese culture. Furthermore, it is not my objective to assault their ideals or beliefs. I am merely trying to share my daily observations. You know, the whole East meets West stuff. Unfortunately, sometimes I do pass judgment, and I need to work on that aspect. With that, I have also learned that I am considered a laowai which means outsider or even Whitey. It really depends on the tone. As an outsider, I am ever aware that I need to respect my host and consider the environment and how to interact within and not enforce my Western values. Be honest, how would you like for a Chinese person to come to the United States and tell you how live? Yeah, not so nice, is it?
Art Museum

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to enjoy a day of diversity. The day started at a Chinese art museum. It was an interesting eclectic experience. One of the pictures depicted how Asian culture was being corrupted by Western capitalism. The picture showed Chinese citizens with wide eyes surrounded by McDonalds and Playboy symbols. As a group, this was a really intellectual experience. The whole time we tried to withhold our Western views and examine the artwork as a Chinese person would interpret it. We also saw a great deal of nudity. I was really surprised by that. Normally Chinese culture is very reserved in their depictions. I was further shocked to learn that this artistic expression is a relatively new experience for the Chinese. There are only two Chinese art museums that are owned by the Chinese. The rest are owned laowais.
13 Club

Humm…What is the best way to end an intellectual experience? That’s right! You guessed it! The obvious choice for the casual reader is a Chinese grunge show! Supposedly the grunge scene is not regulated by the CCP. Basically, these grunge bands can say what they want. With that said, as a group, we walked into this dark establishment. It was really small and smelled like my old high school locker room. The walls were painted with Chinese characters in black and red paint. As the band began to play, I found myself swept up in the moment. The next moment will live with me forever. A Russian walked up to me and asked if I knew how to mosh pit. I smiled and said, “I’m going to mosh pit with a Russian in China!” The music got louder. We started moving faster and before you knew it, we were running into each other. I think I had the better of the exchange. Some Chinese people looked shocked. After a while, they decide to try mosh pitting. I think we should use mosh pitting to solve all of our international problems. I am just kidding.
Buses and Subways

The first couple of times I rode the bus in Beijing, the whole experience was upsetting to my Western ideas. While waiting in line, people were pushing and shoving me to get on the bus. Keep in mind that I’m a pretty big guy: 5’10, 230 pounds. I like to lift weight. I have a background in judo and jujitsu. I was really bothered by this situation. This is further frustrated by the fact that when I was on the subway, I tried to give my seat to a Chinese woman. I cordially asked her if she wanted the seat. The problem is that within Chinese culture, it is appropriate to reject a gift at least three times before accepting. Sometimes, for the laowia, they will only do this once. Oh no, not for me, by the third, “Oh no, I can’t,” some skinny bald guy bumped me out of the way to get to the seat. The girl and I were left standing with blank stares at one another.
I talked to my professor about this cultural difference, and he told me that Beijing people can be rude. This is a group of 16 million people fighting for resources. It is so ingrained in their society that they don’t consider it rude. In other parts of China, this behavior is not accepted. On the other hand, I also noticed that people will give up their seats for the elderly or will clear a trail to the bus for an elderly person. I also told Dr. Clark about the spitting. A young man spat on the ground and almost hit my shoe. I stopped for a second and then continued walking. When I shared this event, I was expecting some cultural explanation for this behavior. All I got was, “Some people are just rude.” Dr. Clark also expressed that these are people who see the world differently. Conversely, he has seen foreigners yell at Chinese taxi drivers who didn’t speak English. After one exchange, he saw a taxi driver start to cry. Furthermore, he has scene shop owners get yelled at by foreigners for not speaking English. Of course, there is animosity and our incurable acumen to categorize people. One bad experience can lead a person to dislike an entire race.
With this new information, I decide, Hey, when in China… With my new cultural information, I boarded the bus with reckless speed. Bumping people out of the way and turning my backpack side to side. I am now a pro at getting on and off the bus. In fact, when I get off, I just get a running start and clear the path for others trying to get off. The trick is to image nobodies in front of you and to just keep turning your legs at a quick pace. In essence, just try to pretend that your mosh pitting and you’ll be okay.