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Q: When did you feel most in touch with Chinese society?
I ask this because since leaving my position teaching adults English for another industry, I feel much more out of touch with Chinese society. Every day I would get students to debate current issues, they'd tell me what was trending right now and you'd hear about issues from people from every facet of society, hear their memories of how it felt to live in China when it was opening up.
Now I read a lot more news about China and I'm more well informed but I feel really detached.
I really think that teaching English can give you an amazing insight into social issues here.
9 years 21 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
I "feel in touch" with my Chinese family 'most" every day. I hope they are considered a small part of Chinese society.
by "most", I mean, should be every day, but on occassion I tune out and dream of a ranch and a white picket fence and a winchester rifle, but then I come back to reality and the 21st century.
I love my wife and her rather large family. I get along with them all. Pretty damned nice people in my opinion.
people are people, some good, some bad..... I love my Chinese family and my Canadian family.. and I do not stop with just the family.... as a matter of fact... only 1 person in my whole working life of 37 years...... I still dislike the prick.... other than that guy, ..pretty much got along with everybody I ever met.
I know what you mean. I don't hang out with colleagues really and I get most of my news and info from sites like this.
I definitely had more contact with Chinese society when I worked as an English teacher but I never felt in touch with it.
I talk to Chinese people all the time and I have Chinese friends, so I would say I'm quite in touch with Chinese society.
I "feel in touch" with my Chinese family 'most" every day. I hope they are considered a small part of Chinese society.
by "most", I mean, should be every day, but on occassion I tune out and dream of a ranch and a white picket fence and a winchester rifle, but then I come back to reality and the 21st century.
I love my wife and her rather large family. I get along with them all. Pretty damned nice people in my opinion.
people are people, some good, some bad..... I love my Chinese family and my Canadian family.. and I do not stop with just the family.... as a matter of fact... only 1 person in my whole working life of 37 years...... I still dislike the prick.... other than that guy, ..pretty much got along with everybody I ever met.
Like BHGAL, being married to a Chinese and just living "normal" life. I almost never participate in "expat activities" or go to the typical expat hangouts. I do sometimes when I hang with some of my expat friends feel very out of tune with the expat bubble.
Teaching was definitely a window on the Chinese society. Now, it my wife's family, my wife friends and colleagues, and to some extend, my colleagues. I follow the blogs of several people (mostly women) married, living in China and fluent in Mandarin.
That's mostly coastal provinces tho, for the little I saw, inner provinces are almost a different world.
I am out of touch with every society. I reckon I would fail to recognise 99% of famous people if I were to pass them on the street.
I have been both in and out of touch with Mainland Chinese society while living here. Felt most in touch when I was a manager in a non-teaching position with a "real" job, responsibilities, pressures, and required to give lots of "face time" and bribes to various officials and overlords. It was awkward and a little scary everyday, but probably the reality for most Mainlanders with any kind of social power. Felt most out of touch recently in a move to a 3rd tier city with few 外国人 around and back to the ESL game again. I feel a lot more peace being "out of touch" with Chinese Mainland society. This (Mainland) culture is twisted in some ugly ways, but there is some beauty in it also. The smiles and small acts of kindness by some of the elderly people here in this (3rd tier) city is refreshing. Sometimes it is easier to find the beauty when you are an outsider looking in.........
