weekend homework - C2

Shanghai


read the story and answer the following questions
1- how is china similar to America? 2- what is the most frustrating part about China? 3- why do Chinese people follow some rules but not others?


My time here in China has been an opportunity to learn about a culture very different from my own. I’ve learned to appreciate the apparent chaotic lifestyle of average China that, although it seems crazy to an American, has successfully created the fastest growing economy in the world. Living in Shanghai, away from the usual tourist spots, with a Chinese roommate has helped accelerate the process of getting to know this country better, while learning to appreciate what this great country has to offer.

China has been both enlightening and frustrating. Enlightening because the experiences here are amazing; frustrating because the cultural differences are sometimes difficult to understand. It has struck me as a place of strict rules, yet greater freedom. On the one hand, people religiously obey the ‘do not walk’ signs at crosswalks; on the other, seatbelts are rarely, if ever used, and certainly not in backseats. If a sign says ‘wait in line here’ everyone will wait there, whether or not it really makes sense; in a grocery store trying to get your vegetables weighed is a very difficult because the concept of waiting in line is often ignored. People regularly stroll the streets with open containers. People say that China has the greatest potential of any nation in the coming years. Here in the middle of everything, however, things look a bit chaotic.
If one word in Chinese could sum up my experience thus far, it would be weishenme? Why? Sometimes things make sense: stopping at the crosswalk and being so adamant about it makes sense because drivers have the right of way. In contrast, backseat seatbelts are usually tucked away and inaccessible. Here more than many places you probably wish you could use them. It’s these sorts of actions that seem to typify at China. When there are rules in place and enforcement to back them up, those rules are rarely broken. If there aren’t rules, or not necessarily strong enforcement, then just about anything is allowed. At times it seems like we have more freedom here than in the States, at least down on the street. But as foreigners we have to be careful what we do. Big Brother is never far away.

When we first arrived, I thought ‘this isn’t that different.’ In fact, Shanghai with all its western influence is not extremely different. But in subtle ways, it can be very different. Take for example, how people here tend to walk very closely to one another; how pushing and shoving in crowded areas are considered normal; haggling to get a good price for just about anything you buy is common. It was these types of behaviors that, to me at least, were all quite strange. But making changes to these sorts of differences has all been part of the learning process. As a specific example, haggling for prices has helped in terms of dealing with people, learning to recognize how far you can be obstinate, what you can or can’t do when negotiating with someone. Gaining that ability should, even if just in a small way, help me negotiate with people in general.