Preconceptions of China

As I prepare for my venture to China my head is filled with preconceptions about what to expect. Some of my ideas are could be right; I’m also guessing that many could be misguided through media, which is my only insight into the country. One thing that I do know is that the Great Wall of China is massive, beautiful and probably will be something that I never forget visiting. At least from my point of view the Great Wall represents China’s ambition success and history. I think that is why they like to show this off when they can to an American audience by having Danny Way, professional skateboarder, jump over the wall. I remember watching this video was the first time I thought about how incredible that wall must be in person. I would think that the wall would have a big impact on the Chinese culture. I’ll be interested to see if it is an important part of their culture, or just a tourist attraction that most people don’t really care about.

I always hear how China is growing fast and becoming an economic powerhouse from either classes or talk amongst friends. Even in popular comedy shows like “The Office” which had an episode about the debate over China’s economy. It is not necessarily how they are becoming wealthier that is alarming, the fact that we owe them a tremendous amount of money. Videos like this show why so many people say that China will own the U.S.

I have been led to believe that the reason that China has been so successful recently is that there culture and school system requires much harder work and discipline than American schools. They don’t encourage creativity nearly as much as they encourage productivity. It sounds like in general they take early education much more seriously than many Americans do. They value hard work ethic in a way that is embedded into their culture. I got this impression after having a conversation with a student who left China to go to college in America. He described his childhood as being sent out to different boarding schools, and his parents had much more interest in his academic achievements then anything personal. However, I do understand that this is only one persons experience and does not necessarily reflect on everyone in China.

Based off some things I have read and some videos I've seen I have the idea that China seems to be more concerned with appearing to be wealthy and prosperous rather than putting their money to use in ways that actually benefit their citizens.

It seems that although China’s economy is growing quickly,it may not be sustainable growth. There are many people in rural areas that live in poverty that don't have good housing, or enough food. Also many of their factory workers don't receive fair wages, but I would say that America's demand for cheap labor is what fuels this situation.

I have a friend who went to china and when he returned he raved about all of the amazing things they offer for incredible prices. Especially on the streets on Beijieng I hear about all of the markets and street vendors offering all different types of things from things we know to things we have never seen before. Although many of these things are knock off brands, I would have to say that I can't wait to go shopping. Who cares if it's a real brand anyways?