James Lim James Lim took advantange of every moment he had in China! From exporing his cultural heritage to visiting beautiful villages he talks about his cultural and personal discovery while abroad! Home University: Seattle Pacific University   Host University: Sichuan University Why did you decide to study abroad in China? Studying abroad in China is for me, a culmination of many things. To start things out, I have to explain that I have a Chinese heritage. I was born in Indonesia, but my family’s ancestors originated in China. I can trace a part of my family tree to the island of Hainan in Southern China. Because of my lineage, I have always had the desire to spend time in China. As I started college at Seattle Pacific University, I am confronted by the opportunity to spend a quarter studying in China through the School of Business and Economics. Fortunately for me, I am majoring in Business Administration, and one of my concentrations is International Business, which requires students to attend the study abroad quarter in China. Furthermore, ever since visiting China for the first time last summer, I have had a desire to find a career path that allows me to be involved with all things Asia, and China in particular. All this leads me to where I am right now, studying for the quarter in Chengdu, China. What has surprised you the most about the Chinese culture? What has surprised me the most is definitely the people here in China, specifically, Chengdu. My first trip to China last summer brought me to the major cities on the Eastern coast, where I encountered people who are heavily influenced  by the fast pace of western developed nations. I expected Chengdu to be the same: fast paced, with people who are always on a mission. What I have seen is the exact opposite – people in Chengdu are genuinely friendly, incredibly laid back, and they just want to enjoy life. The rapid economic development of Chengdu is just a mask to the city’s true sleepy nature. Furthermore, I love discovering the small differences between American and Chinese life. For instance, it’s very common here to see children accompanied by their grandparents. Daycares are non-existent here in China; the children are taken care of by their own families. This underscores the vast difference in the family unit between American and Chinese families. Trip to Guanxi Province A few weeks ago, the whole of China experienced ‘National Week’, a week off work and school to celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. I spent this time in Guanxi Province in Southern China with another study abroad student from AsiaLearn. We split our time between the city of Guilin, the small towns of Yangshuo and Xingping, and the Longji Rice Terraces (Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces). Overall, the trip was a nice relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of a large city like Chengdu. Visiting the Chinese countryside is something I have always wanted to do, and exploring Yangshuo, Xingping, and Longji gave me a new perspective of Chinese culture outside of the big cities. In Xingping in particular, I rented a bicycle explored the surrounding farmland and karst mountains. And in Longji, we had the opportunity to see ethnic Chinese villages and the rice terraces surrounding them. There was a point where we saw a family harvesting their rice (October is the beginning of the rice harvesting season) and I wanted to photograph them up close. I ended up with some great shots and we helped the family harvest their rice! In Longji, the people harvest their rice the way they have been for thousands of years: after cutting and drying, the plants are beaten against the inside of a wooden box, forcing the dried rice to fall to the bottom. This trip revealed the beauty that can be found all over China. We hear a lot about the big cities of Beijing and Shanghai, how they are full of high-rises and smog and pollution, but there is more to China than these cities. Places where the true beauty of China shines through.  Trip to Ganbu Tibetan Fortress & Wenchuan County The weekend of November 19-20, I took a trip along with many of the GlobaLinks Learning Abroad students to Western Sichuan. We visited the Ganbu Tibetan Fortress in the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province. We also made our way around Wenchuan County, one of the more heavily affected areas of the massive earthquake in 2008. We visited several villages that were destroyed – and then rebuilt since the earthquake. And in Wenchuan City, we visited an orphanage and a museum dedicated to the Earthquake. We handed out winter hats, gloves, and socks to the 90 or so kids living at the orphanage, and we learned that all of them became orphans during that deadly quake. Everywhere we went, we saw evidence of the mudslides that did most of the damage shortly after the earthquake. Mountain slopes were bare, rivers were filled in, and even some roads were still blocked. Even though the evidence of destruction was evident, we also saw the level of rebuilding that has occurred. In three years, Wenchuan City has been rebuilt completely, whole towns have been replaced, and new roads, bridges, and tunnels built. The earthquake in 2008 resulted in countless deaths and exorbitant amounts of money in damages. But it was amazing to see how quickly China was able to band together and rebuild. How did these trips change your perspective on the Chinese Culture? These trips have showed me a different face of China. Nowadays, in addition to whatever stereotypes the rest of the world has created for the Chinese, all we have seen in the Western world is China’s growing power and economic development. My perception of the Chinese people is rooted in the much-developed east coast, the growing and increasingly rich slice of the population who are hungry for Western goods and services. In fact, I had believed that much of the traditional Chinese culture was destroyed around the time of the Cultural Revolution. While that may be the case, as I have learned in class, there are many ethnic groups within China whose way of life has been preserved, and there is more evidence that there are those who strive to preserve ancient Chinese culture. However, even then, after living in China for four months and spending time in rural China, I have realized that today’s Chinese culture is a blend of ancient and modern, of the 80+ different ethnic groups. China is a country with not just one overarching culture, but it is a country with a “melting pot” culture, similar to that of the U.S. But instead of Irish, German, English, etc. culture blended together, in China, we have Mongol, Han, Tibetan, Qiang, etc. cultures blended together. Chinese culture a generalization of hundreds of different cultures, and I have only scratched the surface. Final Words I want to add this final note: If you are thinking of studying abroad in China or in any other country, I implore you to do it without hesitation. The experience of studying abroad is an opportunity that seldom presents itself. The learning experiences are only available in this type of environment. I can tell you that if I just came to China for a vacation, or even if I worked in China, my experience would be vastly different than this study abroad experience. If you do decide to embark on a program, do not hesitate to travel around, to meet new people, and to immerse yourself in the country of your choosing. So, seriously consider partaking in a sort of study abroad program. It will turn out to be a delightfully enriching experience that you won’t forget. |