My initial expectations of China were heavily influenced by what my friends told me, what my family told me, and what the media told me. There was nothing I could personally go off us since the last time I was in China I was a baby. I asked everyone I knew to give advice about food, what to pack, where I should go, and what I should/shouldn’t do. There was a lot of mixed reviews but the overall consensus was to have fun, respect the culture, and “the Chinese are different than us”. Something I realized since I’ve been here was that I believed other people’s opinions of what China was like instead of forming my own. It’s not fair to judge a country based off of what others say. This month was a chance for me to get to know Shanghai, the people, and get a sense of what China is really like.
The first issue I was worried about was the language barrier. I thought I wouldn’t be able to get around or order any food. The first few days were rough, I needed help a lot but as the weeks have gone by I’ve gained a better grasp at the language. Having a daily 3-hour Chinese language class has really helped with my survival skills. I knew beforehand that the language is very complicated and different than English, so going into Chinese class the first day I was nervous. After learning about all the different tones and pronunciations, I immediately thought I would never be able to say anything. Almost 60 hours later and a lot of practicing, I know the basics and can speak some complete sentences. I’m grateful I had these classes because it really helped me get around the city and speak with the locals. A lot of people asked me where I was born and where I’m from. My teacher taught me how to respond and carry on a short conversation. It’s given me the opportunity to get to know some of the people near the campus and interact with them. On the other hand, characters are a different story. We didn’t spend a lot of time in class talking about them since there pinyin is almost everywhere now. Although, we’ve come a crossed menus that were completely in characters. I needed to use a translating app to read them. As a group we tried to stick with the restaurants with English or pinyin in the beginning to make life easier. Overall I was more nervous about the language barrier than I needed to be. A lot of people I’ve met speak some English or have menus with a lot of pictures. Language barriers can lead to misunderstandings but as long as you are patient and sympathetic you’ll manage. Something I quickly learned was that you need to be creative when you’re trying to convey a message to a person through body motions. It’s challenged me throughout this entire trip but that’s part of the fun of being in a different country. You’re constantly learning and I absolutely loved it.
While doing the map assignment before I departed for Shanghai, I was slightly concerned about getting around the city. I’ve never regularly used a subway system or any type of public transportation. To function effectively throughout my trip I knew I needed to master how to get around. There are two main types of public transportation, subways and taxis. I’ve gained a lot of experience in both. The subway system was scary the first time I went on it because there were so many people and not a lot of time to get through the gate and onto the subway. Now I believe I could get around almost anywhere in Shanghai because of the subway. It’s convenient and cheap. I wish Columbus had this system, if it did I’d be travelling more around the area than I do now. The COTA busses are a type of public transportation but I haven’t taken advantage of them. When I go back this fall I’ll make sure to look into mastering the COTA system. Taxis are the other popular public transportation. The taxi drivers usually don’t speak English so Professor Reed suggested to take the hotel’s business card which has the name and address of the campus. That has saved all of us several times. Those are the kind’s tips you need to think of when you’re travelling in a country where you don’t know how to get around or the main language.
My preconceived view of China was of a country of people who weren’t like Americans at all. There are so many stereotypes of Chinese people in the United States and when that’s all you hear you start to believe them. Now I can confidently say that I’ve met several people and they’re more diverse than you could imagine. They don’t all know marital arts or stay inside 24/7 to study. Instead they are people who come from unique backgrounds and have their own distinct personalities. The United States categorizes billions of Chinese people into a few stereotypes which most of the U.S. citizens believe. Not many understand the Chinese culture or even want to travel to China. Instead they are content with believing what you hear online or paying little attention at all to the world outside the U.S…
One major similarity I’ve come a crossed is the people of my generation. In Shanghai and America, we all seem a lot alike. Both have strong connections with social media and want to stay connected with the world. It’s more than just updating where you are or connecting with friends, it’s a chance to express yourself and stay up to date with everything that’s going on in the world. I knew Facebook was blocked in China and that people used WeChat but I didn’t know a lot about Chinese social media. WeChat is a lot like Facebook, iMessage, and Twitter all in one. People can talk to each other, update statuses, and follow conversations. I’m very impressed with all the capabilities WeChat can do. I thought people were closely monitored with what they put online, but a lot of people I’ve spoken to say they speak freely on their social media platforms. Another surprise was the amount of people who use VPNs. Even my history teacher has one. It’s just something expected you should have even though it’s technically illegal. I didn’t realize how loose the rule around internet regulation was. Something else I noticed was the way students and other people my age think. They all tend to think along the same lines as American students. We tend to be more open-minded and less traditional than the older generations. My Chinese language teacher brought up that her generation (one above mine) is a lot different than the older ones. They put less emphasis on traditional values and focus on the change the China is going through. Everything is becoming more modern and progressive. I believed China to be very traditional to the point where they weren’t developing as a society. My thoughts were way off, the people here are embracing a new culture while maintaining the traditional elements preserved for thousands of years. With progression comes conflict. I’ve heard there’s a clash between the younger generations and the older ones. Kids my age in America believe the older generations are stuck in their ways and not moving forward with the changes in the world. The same sentiments have been said for older Chinese generations. To me this shows how much the world has changed within the past 50 years. Younger generations all over the world all have the commonality of living in a different world than our grandparents. Things are changing everywhere, not just in the United States. I find it interesting that no matter where you go, you can find some common ground to talk about with people the same age as you. I’ve talked to ECNU students who are going through the same daily struggles I go through at home. Trying to balance family time with school, work, and hanging out with friends. It’s comforting that even though we’re different, we still are the same.
Looking at China on a map, you can easily see how large the country is. Within this country there are different provinces. They remind me of states a lot because people are categorized into groups by their geographically location. Within those communities come specific traditions to that region and commonalities between the people. Everyone has told me that the North and South are very different. That’s the same in America as well. Something that truly defines a region is the kind of food they eat. The North eat more wheat based foods and the South eat more rice. Then each province is known for certain dishes or specialties. Sichuan is known for spicy food while the cities on the coast have a lot of seafood on their menus. America and China are large countries with a diverse population that make up one entity. I also think each country could learn something from one another. People in America think that the Chinese are so different that they couldn’t even learn from them. The Chinese have been around a lot longer than America has. Specifically Shanghai and their public transportation system. After using it for over a month, I think the New York subway could learn from it. Shanghai created it for the people, not to make a profit from it. It’s addressing the environmental and overpopulation problems by reducing the amount of cars on the road and creating a convenient way for people to travel across the city.
Travelling to Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Tongli gave me a better perspective of Shanghai. While in those cities, we saw a different part of China. We’ve been told that Shanghai is “the other China” but I never really understood that statement until travelling outside of the. Tongli was a water town about an hour outside of the city yet it seemed like we travelled so much farther. Yes, it was a tourist spot but the people there seemed more friendly and interested in you. A lot of people stared and took pictures of some people in the group because they don’t necessarily see Westerners with blonde hair all the time. Tongli was what I expected China to be when I was a kid. Smaller, traditional buildings with gardens everywhere. It was a nice contrast to see other cities and compare them to Shanghai. It made me realize how modernized the city is and how much it has changed within the past few decades. There have been additions to the skyline such as the Oriental Pearl TV tower, World Financial building, and others within the past 30 years. Some people who have travelled to Shanghai a while ago say they don’t recognize the city anymore since all of the changes. It really shows the emphasis on continuing the progression of the city’s image of a metropolis.
In our history class, we studied the history of Shanghai. The timeline for the city is in 1074 Shanghai was created. Then in 1843 it was established as a treaty port. The first Opium war began in 1839 and marked the “Century of Humiliation”. From 1912-1937 Shanghai took steps toward becoming a metropolis. During that time the majority of the population were foreigners and today there is less than 1%. In 1921 the communist party was started in the French Concession. 1949 was a huge turning point because it was the year the People’s Republic of China was established. The economy changed from a center of consumption to a center of production. Life expectancy increased and the literacy rate was high. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries there were famines, military defeats, foreign occupation, and a low world GDP. Shanghai has the nickname, “the other China” because of it sets itself apart with its modernity and cosmopolitan communities. During the Maoist regime the country went through the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Millions of people perished because of the famine or were prosecuted for identifying as one of the 5 black categories. Today, Shanghai is the largest and wealthiest city in China. With over 23 million people living in this urban area. It’s also the busiest container port in the world. The projections for Shanghai is to continue on its modernity track. The population will continue to grow and could possibly hit 50 million by 2050.
While learning the background of Shanghai’s evolution, it opened my eyes to how much the city has changed. In the Urban Planning museum I got to see photos of what the city looked like at the beginning of the 19th century. I didn’t even recognize the Bund or the Pudong area at all. Going to that museum brought everything into perspective for me. Listening to the lectures by Li Laoshi, reading the textbook, and seeing it displayed in a museum gave me different reference points and perspectives.
My take away from this trip is that the Chinese are different from us, but we’re different from the Chinese too.