Me, China and naivety
This post is about something I wrote on the request of an old English teacher in my secondary school whilst working in China. It was part of a project by some transition year students who were asking past pupils of the school for real world experiences of their life to date living in a foreign country.
I wrote it when I was 24 years old and 6 months into my Chinese story. Bear with me, I sound terribly niave and exactly the type of optimistic young traveller that I cringe at when I see now. I loved my China experience and I hope to someday return to the Middle Kingdom ready to accept new views and experiences. I'll soon be heading off to Australia, hopefully my optimism remains with me throughout my stay there.
Q1 Did your way of life change much when you went to China?
Imagine moving to a new country, away from friends and family, with the bare basic command of the language; you may then imagine how much my life has changed. The language is the largest barrier to surmount when you move out here. The small, everyday things that you take for granted in Ireland have to be planned and studied before taking action. Think about going to a barber shop without knowing how to communicate how you want your hair styled or stepping into a taxi without being able to tell the driver where exactly you wish to go.
Ordering food from a restaurant is yet another experience, as Dalian is not renowned for having foreign tourists everything is written in Chinese so you do not know what you are ordering at first. I remember my very first breakfast which consisted of luke-warm water, celery and tofu (what I really craved was a breakfast roll). Tofu, regardless of what your vegetarian colleagues insist, is not a delectable meal first thing in the morning. As for my own experience I believe it was my diet which changed the most. Living in China on a western wage allows you to go out to different restaurants every night. It actually costs less to eat out every night than to cook yourself. Food poisoning is not uncommon in China, kitchen standards are low in some places and you know which places to avoid after a while. The lack of people eating in these places is a good sign to stay away. However I found that in general my diet had improved immeasurably through the constant consumption of sticky white rice and seafood.
Q2 As you love to travel and learn about new cultures do you find that the Chinese culture contrasts a lot with others?
Where do I start with this question? Chinas recorded history stretches back over 5000 years. There is no place in the world similar to China; every culture in the world is different from the other. What I found with China was that it is embracing the west. I would dare anyone to walk down the main streets in Shanghai and not draw similarities between Tokyo, New York and London. High rises and skyscrapers are all the rage; however this comes at a cost. McDonalds, Starbucks and KFC are now on every corner and western ideas are being implemented constantly throughout the country. Through the great leap forward much of Chinas heritage was destroyed. Many of the things that we take for granted in Ireland (Literature, art, architecture, history, etc.) was destroyed during this period and is still being destroyed today to make room for industrial pursuits. Did you realize that in a few years America will be purchasing nuclear reactors from China? This all comes at a high price, through building the world's largest dam; China has effectively destroyed millions of livelihoods and eradicated thousands of species of animals. This all leads to one important point: China's culture is being taken away from the Chinese people.
As is commonly known, China is a communist country. This means that there is an unbelievable amount of propaganda on the television. The people of China believe what their beloved government tells them and this is the main point which separates China from the rest of the world. Through media restrictions many Chinese people are ignorant to the outside world. I'm sure that the deal the Peoples Republic of China made with Google is well known you now so try to imagine researching a topic as well documented as democracy and not having it appear on your computer screen. Other sensitive topics such as Tibet, human rights and Falun Gong are not openly discussed in China. Discussing these topics inside China or even the Internet as a Chinese blogger (MSN Spaces) found out can lead to lead to difficulties for the parties involved.
I know that I've spoken about much of the bad side of China however I'll take some time to discuss the up-sides of living there. There is no-where I know in the world where you can encounter such a variety of friendly people. Throughout all that this people has come through in the past 50 years it is a testament to them that they are still surviving, at the forefront of technology and part of the world's most powerful economy. Such a diverse people that are very family orientated, things such as old-folks homes are almost unknown in this country. All holidays revolve around 3 things, family, food, fireworks.
One thing that is prevalent throughout every single culture is a passion for alcohol. Although it is commonly thought that Chinese people do not often drink they have a potent spirit known as baijiu which they toast with during festivals and holidays. Baijiu is just as potent as poitin and very legal. They also have perfected the art of fermenting beers, a trick they picked up from the Germans.
Q3 Do you find that the houses and apartments in China are different from other houses and apartments that you have lived in?
Accommodation as you would have in Ireland is non-existent in China. Due to population restrictions in China much of the accommodation centers on the small two bedroom apartments. This would have a small kitchen and a very small dining area. This area would consist of the TV hooked up to a karaoke system which is a national pastime of the Chinese people. A large apartment is not needed as the one-child rule per family comes into effect within the large cities. By the way, Dalian in China is considered a small city within China as it only has 5 million people living there. Depending on what region of China you live in your heating may be supplied by the Chinese government. This usually comes into operation in late November and is turned off in mid February. Up in Dalian you really need it during the winter as it can drop down to -15 degrees Celsius during the winter and reach up to 30 degrees in the summer. It's not really the snow and frost that is the worst however it is the Siberian wind which cuts like a knife that is the worst part of living up in northern china. This is the reason that many Chinese men and women wear long-johns here, a habit I have resisted to date.
You would find that within many communities there are small parks where people can exercise. It is not un-common to see old-age pensioners taking advantage of this opportunity throughout the morning time to get in a workout either by practicing their Tai-chi or by doing calisthenics'.
Q4 Do many Chinese people understand English?
English in China is taught from a very early age and although much of their grammar is perfect it is unfortunate that their accents are not. This cannot be said for all Chinese however as there is a huge illiteracy rate in China as many cannot even read mandarin. However, within my department in DHC, it is required that everyone speak English at all times. This can be quite a lengthy process to try and get a programmer to explain something technical in English so I have applied myself to learn Chinese.
Q5 As you say you come from a business background do you think this has been an advantage to you working in a big company like Dalian Computer Technology?
As with any business in the world there is a hierarchical system, from the receptionist to the CEO. Once people find their place within this system they should have absolutely no problem working within any Chinese company. I'm a firm believer that hard work will lead to success and believe me that should you come to China you would have no problem finding work to do. The average worker in my company clocks in 60-70 hours a week working. The average wage for these people would be around 4000 kuai (400 euros). People wonder why China has grown so fast, they put it down to the booming economy, the cheap wages. Personally I feel that it's the hard work of the average worker. Many of them take pride in their work and as well as their companies profits are improving at a very substantial rate per year. What you must remember however within a Chinese company is that you should never publicly shame either your boss or your company. That is the hardest lesson to learn when working here I believe. The Chinese people view the notion of a company much the same as a family, you would never shame your family so you should also never shame your company. Simply criticizing your boss in a meeting could be perilous to your future advancement within the company however this could also be said for working within an Irish company.
I believe that through my experience through dealing with many different types of people allows me to excel within this field. In essence business is not all that different no matter where you work; you are subject to two things, the almighty dollar and the satisfaction of the shareholder.
Q6 As you have knowledge of a number of European languages do you think that Chinese is a hard language to learn?
Chinese is completely different from any language I have ever learned. Although I have only been learning the language since last August I have made progress within that time, even if I was here for 10 years I would not be fluent, however I would certainly not embaress myself. Chinese is a tonal language which means that one word could have over four different meanings depending on how it is pronounced. Languages such as French are more concentrated on learning tenses of a verb, although your tone or accent is important you can still be understood speaking French whilst speaking in a Dublin, Kerry or Offaly accent. Chinese is completely different as tenses do not play a part however the pitch of your voice does. Still I believe that learning a language is beneficial to the career of anyone within any business. It also helps while traveling the countryside on holiday, the Chinese are much more accepting of you should you be able to converse with them in their native tongue and the same can be said of the Irish.
Q7 As you are working with computer systems and documentation do you find this a demanding job?
I work with computer systems every day, mainly through designing and programming. At the moment I am working with General Electric (GE). GE are the 5th largest company in the world and they supply most of Americas energy needs, from nuclear power to wind turbines. It is a very demanding job which leads to a very hectic work schedule as well as a lot of travel opportunities. Right now I am based in Atlanta, Georgia however I shall be returning to Dalian later this month.
Computer programming is something that I have been interested in since a very early age and something with which I take great satisfaction from every day. This is one of the professions where there is constantly new and emerging technology which has to be embraced and learned, the programming profession also allows me to tackle complex real-life problems and come up with new and innovative ways to deal with these problems. Although I create a lot of software solutions for the company I work for I also give back to the Software community by being involved, through creation and participation, of Open Source projects throughout the internet which are free for all to use.
Q8 Are there many Irish people where you are and are there any opportunity to play Gaelic football or hurling?
At the moment there are 13 Irish people in Dalian. Six of those are teaching English as a foreign language, two of those are working with my companies biggest rival in Dalian (Hi-soft) and one of those is a colleague of mine working in DHC. There are also a number of Irish business men that have set up some very successful Irish bars in Dalian which are doing fantastic business.
When I first came out to Dalian I brought a few hurley sticks with me with the intention of setting up a hurling team out here. However I soon learned that despite my best intentions and hectic work schedule that there is no hurling league to play in here, however each year there is a tournament held for Gaelic football in China. This is known as the Asian Gaelic Games and just goes to prove that the Irish culture has extended its reach throughout the globe. I hope to be involved in this years Gaelic games which will be taking place in Shanghai this coming September. Teams from all over Asia come to participate, from far reaching places as Taiwan, Dubai, Japan, Singapore, Beijing and hopefully this year Dalian.
Q9 Do they have publicised sports leagues in China?
There are many sports leagues in operation in China. China has a huge fascination with Basketball and Soccer. They follow both the NBA as well as the premiership intensely. All of the information regarding these leagues is readily available on the Internet. As China shall be hosting the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing the country has gone Olympic crazy. The stadiums have already been completed well ahead of schedule in stark contrast to the Greek effort; there is a national hunt for translators throughout the country to aid in the Olympic effort. There is already a wide marketing campaign to get the Chinese interested in many of the sports that shall be on display in the games. China has always had a very strong Olympic team and I believe that this games shall prove to be no exception.
Fin.
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