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| Sometimes I wonder how people in China view me. Do they see me as one
of them, or am I viewed as a round eye, tall nose "guai lo" (Cantonese
slang for foreigner; or a more direct translation: old ghost)? I've
always thought that I would be able to adapt fairly easily to different
cultures, especially to the Chinese culture. After all, I look like
one of them and love the food, and am not exactly the most
high-maintenance person. But my experience so far in this small, blue
collar town has proved otherwise. I desperately miss concepts such as
one-stop shop, waiting in line, and pedestrians having the right of
way. On weekends, instead of hanging out at the local Chinese
restaurants and KTVs, Anne and I have found ourselves going to Shanghai
eating everything and anything western. At times, I can't help but
feel like a Twinkie or a banana.
The work culture has been even
tougher to adapt to. Perhaps the two books that best depict my work
experience so far are Tom Clissold's Mr. China and Sun Tzu's The Art of
War. I doubt that more than 5% of the Chinese population have read The Art
of War, but they sure do a great job living it out. Their unity
against outsiders would make any organized union proud, and
their ability to backstab their own would put any investment banker to
shame.
But at the end of the day, I think it's safe to say that
people are just people. Perhaps we from the West do a better job
covering up our true human condition because we place such a premium on
kindness and chivalry. But underneath it all, whether we're from the
East or the West, we are all just trying desperately to prove that we matter. Some
do so by trying to get ahead of the competition or gain a few bucks;
others do so by boasting of their superior ethical or cultural
standards. However, unregenerated hearts are all but the same,
"chasing after the wind." I hope my experience in China can
demonstrate to others that there's more to life. There's a hope and
peace that can fulfill us in a way that those silly games can't. | | |
| I usually read travel books for very practical purposes such as identifying major tourist attractions and best restaurants. I don't often pay close attention to their writing styles as long as I get the information I need. The Lonely Planet Shanghai, however, is an exception. I think it would be vastly entertaining to read this book, if only to be amused by its sarcasm, even if you have no intention to visit Shanghai. Below are some excerpts. I'll write my own descriptions of Shanghai after I get a little more familiar with the city. "Swarming with swindlers, socialites, drug runners, missionaries, gangsters and pimps, its past is so impregnated with myth that it's hard to tell if it was once a paradise or an all-emcompassing evil. What's more certain is Mao Zedong's well-intentioned social manifesto put old Shanghai - the Paris of the East, the Whore of the Orient - into a coma so deep only capitalist shock therapy could resuscitate it." "Shanghainese are said to be so eager to enjoy the status of 'going abroad' that they will go to any country for which they can get a visa." The Pearl Tower -- "Love it or hate it, this preposterous 468m-tall poured-concrete shocker of a tripod tower...." Bund Sightseeing Tunnel -- "Its awfulness almost guaranteeing it a cherished cult appeal, the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel is a 647m voyage via budget effects, garishing lighting, cringe-worthy voice-overs and knuckle-gnawingly awful props. Stepping from the trains at the terminus, visitors are visibly nonplussed, their disbelief surpassed only by those with return tickets." | | |
| A great case study on leadership, or more accurately, the lack thereof.
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| It's been a long time since I've watched College Gameday and SportsCenter, but I can totally imagine how Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit must be having a field day ripping apart the BCS system. They're probably talking about the need for "plus one" or a playoff system, and how it would be unjust if we don't have a consensus number one by the end of the season. I, however, have a very different take on this. I think controversies are good for sports. Sports are fun because we can have bunch of guys hanging out at the local pub arguing for hours about mindless, trivial stuff such as who's the best outfielder of all time (Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, or Barry Bonds on steriods) without the need for reaching any conclusion. We would, afterall, have much less to talk about if there are no controversies at all.
I think the real irony is the fact that we live in a society that is so "tolerant" to the point that we can't accept any universal truth, yet we can't even be somewhat flexible on not having an undisputable college football champ.
My Rose Bowl Prediction: USC-28, Michigan-14. A repeat of 2004 Rose Bowl.
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| I think China would be a very interesting place to do a sociological study. While the country has "progressed" economically, some of its social norms have not changed at all. Line cutting, random spitting, and other behaviors that are considered uncouth in our culture are rampant in China. I've never considered myself much of a cultural elitist, but I have to admit that by the end of my one-week business trip to Shanghai, I found myself arguing with line cutters as if I were trying to carry out some sort of "white man's burden" to "civilize" these "savages." I know that social norm is more socially constructed than biologically determined, and I don't feel in anyway that I'm superior to them. Nevertheless, I do believe that the Chinese society would be better off if certain social guidelines were more broadly accepted. I recently read Freakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. It's a very interesting book that uses economic theories and statistical tools to explain social behaviors, including why school teachers and sumo wrestlers cheat, and why drug dealers live at home with their mothers. I wonder how Steven Levitt would explain why line cutting is so much more commonplace in China than in the U.S., and what kind of economic incentive (or disincentive) needs to be in place to stop people from spitting on public streets. | | |
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