Observations in China part 2

Being a white American girl in China for six weeks, I've noticed quite a bit of interesting phenomenons regarding race in China. First of all, as Americans, we attract crowds of people simply because we look different. However, I've noticed that the way the Chinese treat caucasian Americans, African Americans, and Chinese Americans varies extremely. Everywhere we go it seems that Chinese people are extremely intrigued by the African Americans in our group. They ask to take pictures with them, touch their skin (sorry Julius), and ask questions that we consider a product of ignorant stereotypes portrayed through the media. Most of the Chinese we met in Beijing, for example, had never seen a person with black skin before and thus either swarmed around our group very excitedly or stared shyly from afar. However, I know much more about Chinese perceptions of white people because of first-hand experience. I know that in China, it is a rare occurrance to see a white person, but it does happen from time to time due to tourism and whatnot. So, I am not so much a foreign spectacle as some people of other races may feel, but moreso someone that the Chinese attempt to imitate in some way. That sounds really strange, but for example, the Chinese are obsessed with keeping their skin as light as possible. Everywhere you go, you will see women with umbrellas to shield themselves even from the dimmest of sunlight. Soon after I first met Sally, we went out for a walk and she instantly pulled out her umbrella and asked me why I didn't have one. I explained that I didn't need one, and her response was that I would ruin my beautiful white skin if I exposed it to the sunlight. She kept saying that if I became tan (which I have over the course of the last four weeks), it would be a shame. I've noticed also that in China, there is a huge market for "whitening cosmetics" (something I've never seen in the states, but supposedly makes your skin lighter over time as self-tanner might make you darker over time). Sally uses these cosmetics and I've noticed that she is indeed very pale....not so much white, but just kind of sickly looking at times. I don't personally understand why the Chinese go to so much trouble to make their skin a color that it just naturally isn't.

Also, being an American teenaged girl, I feel that my host family has the tendency to compare me to their daughter (who is a year older than me and entering college next year). Their first impression of American teens (as portrayed by the media, once again...and I suppose does hold true on some level) is that Americans are on the whole stupid and lazy. When I entered Sally's home and I talked to her parents a bit about my school and my ambitions, that stereotype kind of got thrown out the window. All of a sudden, Sally's parents began to make comments to their daughter about how I am an American but I am more interested in Chinese culture than she may be, how I have only been taking Chinese for 3 years (versus her 9 years of English) and how my language skills are very good, how I test well and may attend a good university while her options may be somewhat limited, and even little other things concerning her image (her parents are very harsh when talking to her about her weight, and our body types are compared often). They even offered me her room if I would ever consider attending university here in Shanghai.

However, Sally and I are from vastly different worlds and though we are similar because we are close in age, there is little room for comparison. Living in Shanghai has definitely been a shocking experience. Before arriving here, I believed everything would be modern (even moreso than Chicago, which I have come to appreciate so much more, by the way) and that living conditions would be much better than in the states. I was SO wrong. It isn't that Shanghai isn't a nice city....its just that only one small part of the city fits my former expectations. On the whole, Shanghai is lacking in terms of providing what we may consider a basic standard of living for its people. There is tons of construction, so it seems like most of the city is in ruin. The construction I do see isn't like construction back home. It's mostly done by migrant workers, demolishing and re-building slowly by hand. The high rises in this part of town seem very old and run-down from the exterior. I have no idea what they are like inside, though I can testify to the fact that my homestay home is much nicer inside than it appears from outside (but from the outside it is SUBSTANTIALLY nicer than almost every other residential building I've seen in Shanghai). In terms of outward appearance, it doesn't help that people are forced to hang their clothes to dry outside of their windows due to the high cost of electricity and the inability to use automatic washers and dryers. Though my host family is affluent, they have even given up the luxury of using electric washers and dryers, though they have one of each in their home. All laundry is done by hand and dried throughout the home and on the balcony. Its sad to see that people here cannot afford basic necessities like electricity, and its also interesting to see how this lack of necessities really translates to the overall health of the city. The government here in Shanghai knows this is a problem, and they are seeking to improve the image of their city to a great extent. I see the slogan "Better City, Better Life" plastered all over Shanghai, along with advertisements for the 2010 Expo and even a countdown to its exhibition (some 630 some days away). At the Urban Planning Exhibit, I saw graphics of what they believe will be the new, post-Expo Shanghai. It seems extremely unrealistic. Every building looks like it comes straight from the future and I can't imagine how it is possible to transition from a city that looks so run-down to the most modern city in the world. Its a nice dream to have, I suppose, and I am very interested in seeing how Shanghai changes after 2010.

Lastly, I've noticed the presence of Communism becoming more and more conspicuous the longer I've been here. I think a lot of the observations I've made about the condition of the city itself have come as products of a communist way of life. When I first arrived here, it was almost as if I had forgotten I was in a communist state. It was never discussed and I never witnessed any "signs" of its existance. However, leaving campus and living in someone's home, I've noticed on streets and in public places, various pro-communist party advertisments. It would help if I was able to fully read them to know their content, however. Also, while at dinner the other night (at a Chinese American-style Italian restaurant) my host father asked me about American holidays, and which one was the most important. I said Thanksgiving, and he was somewhat familiar with the holiday. He asked me what American people are usually thankful for, and I replied "family, friends, teachers, etc." and he thought that was very strange. He then said "if I were to give my thanks to anyone, I would give it to the Communist party. Don't you think that is much more respectable?" I just nodded as I ate my Italian-flavored Chinese fish. I never know how to respond to these kind of comments...though I suppose there is no choice in how to respond. I should just be agreeable and be respectful of their way of life here, and understanding the communist mindset here is definitely a huge part of understanding China in general. Also, on a somewhat related note, I am very confused about the Chinese perception of Chairman Mao. He is idolized everywhere. Whenever my roomate and I walk past the Mao statue on campus, she always remarks "such a wonderful man" and keeps walking. However, on our cultural tour of Beijing, our tour guide spoke a little bit about Mao and his Cultural Revolution (the simplified version, and certain details were obviously selectively taken and omitted in order to give glory to Mao). Then, he spoke a bit about the speed at which China is advancing and explained that it only seems like China is rising so quickly in comparison to the conditions of the recent past. He was very critical of the Cultural Revolution...how it seemed to destroy China and impoverish so many of its people. This is a common trend I've noticed the Chinese believe that Mao is a hero of sorts, yet his Cultural Revolution was a great failure and a huge burden on the people of China? This makes no sense to me, and I hope to understand better in the future.

I'll keep posting some more entertaining stories later, but for now this is all the time I have. 13 more days and then I'm coming home...I don't know whether to be sad or happy about that.