China and Beyond

Here's is Evangeline's response to my question about reactions to the recent North Korean nuclear test.

Dear Mr.Downs:

Well, you must have heard enough words from the Chinese Government about what happened in N.Korea .So,maybe it's better to show you some hard-to-find opinions,which widely exists in China,espeacially in big cities like Xi'an.

Americans and westerners often consider China, N.Korea and Vietnam to be similar not only because the Chinese government helped them in two wars many years ago,but also because we all have the Communist Party which is quite different from yours. So, people will be easily reminded of China as soon as the other two countries are mentioned.

It was true that our 3 countries often took the same steps in the period of Chairman Mao .Yet a revolution took place in China in 1978 and after that we clearly understood that it was a world for development, not for wars or conflicts. Even though our so-called destination and yours are not the same, we can still work together to make the people have better lives. From then on, China, N.Korea and Vietnam separated in different ways.

Today, we Chinese, especially teenagers in big cities, have already regarded ourselves as part of the world. The news we read everyday and the study methods we have today are getting closer and closer to that in those countries like yours. Our way of development is getting farther and farther from what a so-called communist-Party country should be, and so do the government's policies.

To you Americans, the opinion above can be sort of ridiculous----How can a Chinese say his country is no longer like a communist-Party country! But it's true. If you keep an eye on the Chinese government's policies recent years, you may easily find how different they are from those of N.Korea.

Nowadays, a few American media blame China, for it seems that China hasn't made a contribution to the Parley and even have a little predilection for N.Korea. In fact,we are now trying to coax N.Korea back to the table because of the reality that N.Korea is becoming the menace to China!

Nobody can promise N.Korea and China can be friendly forever, there's no forever friendship between countries! For instance,China and Vietnam had a war together fighting against other countries in 1960's, yet quickly in about ten years,w e had a 'crazy' war ourselves(from 1978 on)and the relationship between us broke up.This caused quite a lot of little conflicts on the border.

Now,our Chinese are afraid that if N.Korea, whose leader is a little bit crazy, gets the nuke, It'll certainly do harm the Chinese' safety. Perhaps the Chinese development of economy will be prevented in a certain extent.

Now you can understand why China would like N.Korea to come back to the table----Because we must! The parley is a way to protect our people,and maybe the best way to solve the nuke problem in N.Korea. It's only a personal view on the N.Korea problem, but I promise it's the most applauded view in our class.

I can't appreciate myself with this E-mail for I haven't tried to write such a political article before. If you want some information more,you can connect to this website: www.phoenixtv.com It is not a website from the government but is enjoyed by lots of Chinese people, for it gives us the reality and is more free to talk about the current affairs.

Yours Sincerely,

Evangeline

Posted by Mike Downs at 12:04 PM | Permalink

Throughout the summer, following my trip to China to hire Wang Tian, our trans-Pacific emails often passed in the night. Now she and I often pass in the halls at MPA, each of us in a hurry somewhere.

She has taken on a daunting challenge with tremendous spirit and enthusiasm, and gives the impression of one who is completely at home - already! It seems amazing to me that it was only three weeks ago that she arrived at the airport. I asked her how things have been going so far:

MD: How well are you adjusting to life in America? What are the biggest differences between here and China?

WT: I think I got used to the life here very quickly. Most of the food here is tasty. People here are kind to me, which makes me feel at home. In China, there are many cars, buses and cabs in the street. Besides, many people walk. But most of the people here drive their own cars. People here prefer to stay at home after work, and stores are closed very early, but in China after work, people like to go out and spend some time outside. We Chinese prefer to sit together and have dinner in restaurants. Some people even talk business when having dinner.

MPA Mandarin teacher Want Tian gives first graders their own Chinese name

MD: You are working with all ages here. How do you manage to adjust your teaching style to go from lower school to upper school all in one day?

WT: This is only one standard for my teaching—enthusiastic, honest and fair. It works for all ages. There may be some difference of teaching methods among them. When teaching lower school students, I sing, play, and act with the kids. For middle school students, there should be more chances for them to think and ask. I just try to guide. For upper school students, they are quite independent. I would like to listen to their ideas and give them more challenges. It is easy to communicate with them.

MD: How are our MPA students different that students in China?

WT: Because of the different educational system, students in China have more homework and more examinations, which reduces their interest. Here, students are happy to learn what they are interested in. It is more free here. I didn’t have the experience to sit with the kids to teach, and it is fun. I feel I am a story teller and tell them interesting stories about China and the language.

MD: What did you think of Homecoming? What will you remember most from that day?

WT: Homecoming is new to me. In China, alumni also go back to visit school, but not every year. I think students here are excited about Homecoming and they are important part of it. I can feel their love for the school.

Members of the class of 2007 bring Homecoming Spirit to the class of 2020 (Pre-K)

I also had a good time on that day. Meeting kids’ parents and watching games was interesting. I still remember different colors on people’s hair and those girls running and playing soccer. They are great!

MD: Is there anything you would like the MPA community to know about you or about your experiences here so far?

WT: I am happy to be here and I get along well with my host family and people in MPA. I love the students here, with different colors of skin and hair. I hope they like Chinese.

To listen to Mike Downs' WCCO radio interview from Beijing, click here.

Or click here to read the summer blog "China and Beyond".

Posted by Mike Downs at 12:02 PM | Permalink