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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: What was your impression of China before you came here?
What images or ideas did you have about it, and have they been confirmed, or contradicted?
What memories will most stick in your mind about China and your trip here the most?
I thought all Chinese would be yes people, with no will of their own. I thought my students would be flag-waving patriots just sit around and not doing much, with no stand-outs in the classes. And, given the reputation of doing everything their parents tell them, and their ability in sciences and maths - rather than literature and inventions - they'd be a bunch of geeks and squares.
My heavens has that changed! Now, I'm pleasantly surprised that there's a lot of individuality in my students. While many people here I have found to be blind, many are not ignorant - and often don't want to be. There are definitely some individuals who I'll always remember!!!
So - what's your biggest contradictory impression that remains strongly in your mind?
My impression of Chinese people before ever visiting China was from those that I had seen back home. As a small child, I do remember this Chinese old man, "Casualty" was his English name" who visited my home every morning, early, to sell vegetables. He was nice, great with kids, and taught me a few words in Cantonese. From this fellow, poorly dressed but clean, later met many who were not as clean looking, or as nice. So, in my mind, Chinese were a self-centered group of people who did not care much for anything else but their lives.
My guess would be that there would not be a Good Samaritan among Chinese. And boy, was I wrong.
My GF and me do enjoy visiting neighborly towns and villages. Yesterday, even if it was raining, we went ahead with plans to visit a town maybe 50 Kms away. As we stood on a corner waiting for a taxi under a downpour for 45 minutes (I guess that was part of the fun and adventure), a couple stops in front of us, lowers the window of their car and ask my GF where is Landong Bus Station. My GF replies that's were we are going, and we got invited to climb in. Funny in a way, 3 Chinese and one laowai, and the laowai is the one giving directions.
Well, that is not all. At around 5:30 pm, my GF and I were sitting (still raining) on a roadside small bar waiting for the bus to pass to caught it and return home. The shop owner was asking my GF a lot of questions about me, and were we were from (country side people are extremely curious). One young Chinese (in his 20's) stops to buy some water bottles, and the shop owner asks him were he is going, and when he replies to Nanning, he asks the driver if he would take us back, and the fellow says "of course". He drove us back, even took us to my building, and refused any payment what so ever. He claims that he just did what he had seen done in American movies, helping someone else in need.
So it is my guess that my youthful impression of Chinese persons was wrong, and that yes, there are some kind souls out there after all.
I thought China would be more antiquated and there would be rickshaws.
agreed with ted thought rickshaws, hutongs, everyone did kungfu/tai chi.
Instead got BMWs, Tall apartment buildings, and no one really practicing kungfu/ tai chi.
I thought they were hard-working, polite people who tried their best to preserve their honor. Ah, the naivety of youth...