**note: everything from here on refers to mainland China and not Hong Kong
While some say that India is full of contradictions, I found India to have the soul of an ancient and religious civilization burgeoning at its seams due to population growth, a desire to modernize, and an entrepreneurial spirit. China, on the other hand, I felt to exist in a constant state of contradiction. As we were only in China for 3 weeks, all I have are general impressions of a complex Chinese culture. My impressions may be wrong or too superficial, but they are the perspectives of an American visiting China for the first time. The Eastern China that Michelle and I saw was completely developed while we have been told that the Western portion of China is totally undeveloped. While the 110 million middle class Chinese make up a small portion of the 1.2 billion overall population, this number rivals the number of middle class in America, and the modern Eastern Chinese cities rival those of America. Beauty in landscape and architecture exists beside tremendous smog and pollution. Food is delicious and hygienic yet full of unhealthy oil. History abounds in every corner of one of the oldest continuous civilizations in existence yet it is seemed, to us, to be appreciated by most of the Chinese who we met because it represents one way in which China stands out in the world, not because of the awesomeness or importance of the historic episodes that marked China's past. Contradictions of thought and politics are commonplace as we heard people talking politics about other countries but guarding against talking about their own country. Many people pray to Buddha or ancestors, but don't claim to have any religion. Ancient Chinese medicine sits side by side with modern pharmacies.
(a man prays with incense, bowing in the rain)
The new path that China is charting out of its cultural revolution is inspiring. Reconciling history and culture with the rapid modernization and increase in wealth is a fascinating process occurring in all of the places that we visited in China. Fifty people dancing with kites and another 50 doing Tai Chi in the city center of Xian surrounded by the old city walls that were decorated for the moon festival demonstrate rays of culture that are infusing China and guiding its path to the future, a future that I hope builds upon the positive legacy of history and the upheavals in its recent past. I am very excited to learn more about China and be a part of the generation that witnesses its continuing influence within the global community.
The new path that China is charting out of its cultural revolution is inspiring. Reconciling history and culture with the rapid modernization and increase in wealth is a fascinating process occurring in all of the places that we visited in China. Fifty people dancing with kites and another 50 doing Tai Chi in the city center of Xian surrounded by the old city walls that were decorated for the moon festival demonstrate rays of culture that are infusing China and guiding its path to the future, a future that I hope builds upon the positive legacy of history and the upheavals in its recent past. I am very excited to learn more about China and be a part of the generation that witnesses its continuing influence within the global community.
It seems that you have got a good taste of Chinese culture already. I, as a Chinese, often find myself in discussions with my American husband about the vagueness and lack of directness in Chinese culture and philosophies. I asked him to look at the symbol of Yin and Yang, in which two seemingly opposite forces are harmoniously interconnected and interdependent. Even the famous Tai Chi has combined softness and aggressiveness in each movement. We were taught ever since early childhood to remain somewhere in between the extremes and shifting our positions if necessary to avoid direct contradiction. It is a little difficult to explain to someone who did not grow up there, but once you've been there you would know what I meant by that.
ReplyDeleteFascinating insights and observations. G
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