School and the Real World: Two Views of China Collide
I recently decided to start studying political words; it’s not that I didn’t like studying words that are used in everyday conversations, it’s just that I wanted to start talking about things that really excite me…like politics. After a few weeks of studying a new book, I can now talk about the People’s Congress, the Communist Party, leadership styles, governments, policy and the like, which is great. One of the more interesting things about studying these words is that you get to read stories in your textbook about Chinese politics. The following is an excerpt that I’ve translated from my book, so if the translation isn’t great, I’m the only one to blame.
Student 1: Since China is a country that is ruled by one party, how is it able to how is it able to give everyone a high level of human rights protection?
Student 2: Correct, China is a country that is ruled by one party; why do you think that the leaders of a one party country are not able to help facilitate/realize a high level of human rights for everyone? The Communist Party of China and its delegates look after and protect the interests of everyone; all Chinese people are protected by widespread human rights. Moreover, China also has several other political parties. The Communist Party is very trusting of these smaller parties; the CCP and the smaller parties work together to discuss big issues and matters. People from the smaller parties hold leadership posts in the government. For example, Mr. Sun Yat-Sen’s wife Mrs. Song Qingling was the Vice Chairman of a Standing Committee of the People’s Congress.
Other excerpts:
In the People’s Republic of China, workers, farmers and intellectuals all have the same rights and are treated as equals.
Hong Kong will reenter a union with China in 1997; Macao will do the same in 1999. I believe that the Taiwan problem will also be resolved in a short amount of time.
--------
Obviously, it’s a little bit uncomfortable to talk about issues of human rights and the way in which the United States views China with your teacher during class. Yet, possibly because I was hiding behind the fact that I was an ignorant American, partly because I am a student and partly because I was curious, I decided to press one of my teachers about the Party, minority parties and the role of the State in China. Perhaps the most interesting—and obvious—that came to the fore during our discussing was the resolute manner in which she proclaimed that the Party does a great job of protecting the rights of everyone and working with minority parties.
After that discussion culminated, she asked me to talk about US foreign policy and why the US and Taiwan were so close. While we shared a negative opinion of invading other countries preemptively, I was unable to do a good job of explaining why, exactly, the US meddles in the internal affairs of other counties (i.e. human rights issues) On the issue of Taiwan, I tried to explain that the island’s relationship with the US had a lot to do with history and styles of government, but I have a sense that my explanation in Chinese was less than adequate. She concluded this conversation by telling me that she believed Taiwan would rejoin the Mainland in the near future.
After school, a lunch meeting, tutoring, and the gym, I decided to grab a late dinner in a small restaurant that I ride pass on my way to and from the gym everyday. It seems to be crowded most of the time, so I decided to go in a take a look at the menu. Now, you have to realize that this is a restaurant frequented almost exclusively by lower to lower-middle class Chinese—I’m going to assume that I was the only person coming from the nice gym up the street to eat at this place. The room was similar to most of the small restaurants you find in Beijing; the walls were white and dirty, the floor was in dire need of washing, and all corners of the room were filled with small white tables, many of which were slanted and in need of repair. In terms of chairs, small stools were the only option. After looking over the menu, I order eggs and tomatoes mixed together with a side of rice, a huge meal that cost just under one American dollar (note: I usually pay 50 cents for my lunch at my favorite lunch spot). While I was finishing up dinner, I noticed that two workers in their 40s had sat down at the table in front of me. As I’m trying to use my Chinese more in everyday situations, I decided to strike up a conversation and sit with them for a few awhile.
The first worker was dirty, very dirty. He had mud caking his hands as well as some on his nose from his day of installing and working with air conditioners and other machines, although I didn’t understand many of the things he was describing. His teeth were in need of a cleaning and crooked. Yet, despite his disheveled look, and his insistence on questioning why someone dressed like me—I was in khakis and a button down—would talk to him, he was funny and amiable. It turns out that he had moved here from Sichuan about a year ago. He wanted to return home to his son, but he was stuck working in Beijing. He also missed to weather and spicy food in Sichuan. He insightfully noted that pretty much every migrant worker from the south longs to return home. He was eating fried rice (12 cents) sharing a plate of meat and peppers with his friend (50 cents) and drinking a large beer (25 cents). He said that he worked 8 hours a day and, for those 8 hours of work, he was paid 30 Kuai, or almost $4. While this seems to be a ridiculously low wage, you have to remember that some people in Beijing make a lot less than that and 85% of the population of China rural. Moreover, these guys have jobs and a place to stay, which is more than a lot of people can say. Nonetheless, it was interesting to juxtapose this experience with the class about how great things are in China from the morning.
Student 1: Since China is a country that is ruled by one party, how is it able to how is it able to give everyone a high level of human rights protection?
Student 2: Correct, China is a country that is ruled by one party; why do you think that the leaders of a one party country are not able to help facilitate/realize a high level of human rights for everyone? The Communist Party of China and its delegates look after and protect the interests of everyone; all Chinese people are protected by widespread human rights. Moreover, China also has several other political parties. The Communist Party is very trusting of these smaller parties; the CCP and the smaller parties work together to discuss big issues and matters. People from the smaller parties hold leadership posts in the government. For example, Mr. Sun Yat-Sen’s wife Mrs. Song Qingling was the Vice Chairman of a Standing Committee of the People’s Congress.
Other excerpts:
In the People’s Republic of China, workers, farmers and intellectuals all have the same rights and are treated as equals.
Hong Kong will reenter a union with China in 1997; Macao will do the same in 1999. I believe that the Taiwan problem will also be resolved in a short amount of time.
--------
Obviously, it’s a little bit uncomfortable to talk about issues of human rights and the way in which the United States views China with your teacher during class. Yet, possibly because I was hiding behind the fact that I was an ignorant American, partly because I am a student and partly because I was curious, I decided to press one of my teachers about the Party, minority parties and the role of the State in China. Perhaps the most interesting—and obvious—that came to the fore during our discussing was the resolute manner in which she proclaimed that the Party does a great job of protecting the rights of everyone and working with minority parties.
After that discussion culminated, she asked me to talk about US foreign policy and why the US and Taiwan were so close. While we shared a negative opinion of invading other countries preemptively, I was unable to do a good job of explaining why, exactly, the US meddles in the internal affairs of other counties (i.e. human rights issues) On the issue of Taiwan, I tried to explain that the island’s relationship with the US had a lot to do with history and styles of government, but I have a sense that my explanation in Chinese was less than adequate. She concluded this conversation by telling me that she believed Taiwan would rejoin the Mainland in the near future.
After school, a lunch meeting, tutoring, and the gym, I decided to grab a late dinner in a small restaurant that I ride pass on my way to and from the gym everyday. It seems to be crowded most of the time, so I decided to go in a take a look at the menu. Now, you have to realize that this is a restaurant frequented almost exclusively by lower to lower-middle class Chinese—I’m going to assume that I was the only person coming from the nice gym up the street to eat at this place. The room was similar to most of the small restaurants you find in Beijing; the walls were white and dirty, the floor was in dire need of washing, and all corners of the room were filled with small white tables, many of which were slanted and in need of repair. In terms of chairs, small stools were the only option. After looking over the menu, I order eggs and tomatoes mixed together with a side of rice, a huge meal that cost just under one American dollar (note: I usually pay 50 cents for my lunch at my favorite lunch spot). While I was finishing up dinner, I noticed that two workers in their 40s had sat down at the table in front of me. As I’m trying to use my Chinese more in everyday situations, I decided to strike up a conversation and sit with them for a few awhile.
The first worker was dirty, very dirty. He had mud caking his hands as well as some on his nose from his day of installing and working with air conditioners and other machines, although I didn’t understand many of the things he was describing. His teeth were in need of a cleaning and crooked. Yet, despite his disheveled look, and his insistence on questioning why someone dressed like me—I was in khakis and a button down—would talk to him, he was funny and amiable. It turns out that he had moved here from Sichuan about a year ago. He wanted to return home to his son, but he was stuck working in Beijing. He also missed to weather and spicy food in Sichuan. He insightfully noted that pretty much every migrant worker from the south longs to return home. He was eating fried rice (12 cents) sharing a plate of meat and peppers with his friend (50 cents) and drinking a large beer (25 cents). He said that he worked 8 hours a day and, for those 8 hours of work, he was paid 30 Kuai, or almost $4. While this seems to be a ridiculously low wage, you have to remember that some people in Beijing make a lot less than that and 85% of the population of China rural. Moreover, these guys have jobs and a place to stay, which is more than a lot of people can say. Nonetheless, it was interesting to juxtapose this experience with the class about how great things are in China from the morning.
posted by jr at 1:51 AM
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