The Chinese people were still, for the most part, wearing the infamous blue and green “Mao Suits”; as they are known to the outside world. Of course, every once in a while there was a young girl in her teens experimenting with pastels and designs, usually not succeeding at combining a flower design with a stripe design. The ensemble was then finished off with knee-high nylons exposing bare knees below the skirt hem; nylons, of course, most often with a run. Usually, I would think to myself that they should just stay with what they know and feel most comfortable with; blues and greens. Fashion magazines from the West have been in China for many years now and I remember the first time I saw one on the newsstand I thought they will never make it. However, I was wrong; they are doing well and have many Chinese followers. Today, the average Chinese teens are learning to express themselves much as their peers in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Los Angeles, and sometimes even more aggressively. Bleached blond hair, tattoos, and body piercing are becoming more and more common.
One personal frustration I would often run into was having people tell me that I dressed like a girl. This of course bothered me as I didn’t care to have people see me as being so flamboyant. However, in all fairness I was not flamboyant at all I would just wear a little more color than what they had ever seen on a man and they found it odd and had no other way to express the phenomena they were beholding.
If we stop to consider for a moment where China has come since the first visit of President Nixon in 1976, I think that we will realize what great leaps and bounds they have taken and how difficult it has been for those affected by the changes.
One of the big mistakes anyone who has not spent a considerable amount of time overseas, in a country so vastly different than their own, will be to misunderstand certain aspects of culture differences and the impact that culture plays on inter-cultural relations.
Upon my first return to America, I was made more aware of the way people observed differences and viewed culture. There seems to be a new awareness showing its face in America called “Diversity”, which is a way of embracing difference and guiding change. Diversity is very much a realization of culture and this realization goes to show that culture is indeed something that needs to be recognized and understood.
The way one culture deals within its self is not something easy for an outsider to grasp. I remember hearing a story of a Japanese woman somewhere on the West Coast several years ago who had attempted unsuccessfully to drown her children and herself for something her husband had done which caused severe “loss of face”. In the eyes of American society she was viewed as having attempted manslaughter, however the Japanese community spoke up and requested that she be allowed to return to Japan where the situation could be dealt with within her own culture; as America was unable to understand the cultural implications of the situation.
If we stop to look at some of the things going on in China today from a positive point we can give them much credit, which is well deserved. Mao is a Chinese National hero who is still respected today by the average Chinese. He brought food and electricity to China. He took a China plagued with starvation and made it into country able to feed the masses.
In an average Chinese city ten years ago, many people didn’t have a refrigerator or a television but if they did they were considered to be wealthy. Over the past five years, televisions and refrigerators have become more common place. They have a choice of numerous cable television stations from within China and can even get foreign stations with the right equipment. CCTV (China Central Television) alone has around ten stations, which are aired within Asia and some internationally. Today, wide-screen televisions, refrigerators, radios, stereos, DVD and CD players and computer goods line the store isles.
When I first arrived in China there was only one bookstore, Xin Hua Shu Dian, this is the national bookstore, which has at least one outlet in all cities and towns. If you wanted to find a book you would not have much to choose from, the prices would run about one yuan to three yuan (approximately 12-36 US cents). If you could find anything of interest it would be a surprise. Today, however, privately owned bookstores are more common. A few years back, a new bookstore opened up in Beijing; it was three stories and you could find books on any subject including hundreds of books on many subjects which have been translated from English and other languages. Books today start at a price of around 12 yuan for a cheap one, the average is 20 (approximately $3.00).
Twenty years ago, the Chinese were leery to interact with foreigners for fear of getting themselves into political trouble. Over the years, however, the Chinese people have become more open towards foreigners and even today it would be considered by many to be a “pat” on the face to have a foreigner visit their home.
Life Experience
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