China - The People

In addition to the dining experience and cultural touring opportunities, the people of China left a lasting impression on me. I found Chinese people, in general, to be kind and hospitable, and many are good humored. 

 

My only previous experience traveling to Asia was to the Philippines as a missionary from 1998-2000. I lived in the Philippines for two years, walking the streets, meeting the people and sharing information about my church. This previous experience really helped me to appreciate and understand the people of China even though the countries and people are different. I noticed many things that were related or the same among the people and noted the influence of Chinese culture on the people of the Philippines. My previous experience in the Philippines helped me to understand many cultural aspects of China.

One main highlight of my trip was working with people from Jinan University. On one day we attended many different classes from University instructors. The first class was Tai Chi. We learned several different moves as part of our class and it was a pleasure working with an instructor who was passionate about the martial arts. He showed us many moves and how they can be used to overcome an enemy. I am glad that he didn’t hurt us too much. 

In another class, we learned Chinese painting by painting a Chinese tea set and a fishbowl. Our instructor didn’t know how to speak English so Anqi had to translate for us, but we understood well what was going on. Another instructor taught Chinese calligraphy techniques for painting Chinese characters. I found that painting Chinese characters was not something I have a natural talent for. My characters were legible, but just barely.


Our experiences meeting with Jinan University officials were also exceptional. It was a pleasure to meet with the University Chancellor and to tour Jinan University. They have some nice facilities and resources, especially in their engineering school. The head of international programs, Yanmei, was a pleasant host and treated us like friends. The best part of our University tour was meeting with Jinan University students and talking with them about their lives and their studies. It appears that Jinan University students have a strong work ethic. I especially enjoyed meeting with students who are planning on attending classes at Northern State University this year. I look forward to meeting these students on our campus in August. I shared advice with Jinan University students on how to advance in their career and how to continue to learn and be productive. 

Really the highlight of the trip for me was meeting with students at the middle school in Jinan. A few activities were planned on the morning we arrived, including a yard sale and Chinese knot tying activities. In the yard sale, students brought items from home to sell to us using their English skills. I found many students to be outgoing and good humored. I bought some items from students after bargaining a little with them and making them use their English language skills. At the yard sale I purchased a bracelet, a deck of playing cards, some small toys and a few comic books. I count these items as some of the most genuine of all of the items I brought home from my trip. During the yard sale a certain boy who was there kept trying to sell his folder. He really went out of his way to try to sell this item, but no one bought it. He even offered to follow me around and fan me with the folder if I would buy it. Near the end of the yard sale, I finally decided to buy this folder even though I didn’t want it. I just felt like he really wanted to sell it and had worked hard. So I made him explain the benefits of the folder in English one more time and I paid him three Yuen for it. He was happy. 

After the yard sale was over, students were asked to write and then share with the class a report of their experience. The folder boy was one of the students selected to share. He explained that he hoped to sell his folder today, and now that it was sold, his family would use the money to fix his toilet. At that point many of our delegation group changed our minds about bargaining with people and I wished I had paid him more for his folder than I did.

After the yard sale, our group attended another class at the middle school in which members of our group learned to tie some Chinese knots. I worked to create my own knots one on one with a pleasant middle school girl whose English was excellent. As with the yard sale, this was another choice experience that helped me to learn about and understand a young Chinese person. 

Overall, in my travels I have come to believe that there are more similarities than differences among people who come from very different cultures. Some of these similarities include love, family, hospitality, and a desire for peace and understanding. I count my dealings with people in China as the best part of my China experience.