Perspectives seeks to promote dialogue and cross-cultural understanding by featuring Chinese and foreign responses to a single question. Email us to be added to our weekly question mailing list or to suggest questions of your own and feel free to add your opinions in the comments section below.
I think the question should be: can anyone ever totally understand everything about a country, especially one as diverse as China? The answer: no.
Lance / UK
Of course, why should human nature in China be different from other places in our world?
Name and country unknown
It’s when you understand it you begin to hate it. The ones who "love" China have only stayed a short time. If living here, one gets to know the cheating and two-facedness.
Name and country unknown
If a foreigner stayed in China since he was born, or he lived here for many years, it is possible to then understand China. It could be difficult, because one person wanting to understand another culture, normally needs to live in that place for a long time, experience the local life, and also has to learn the language, no matter whether it‘s Chinese living in foreign countries or the other way around. But the most important thing is trying to looking at the culture in the local people’s way. Changing one’s original perspective that one brings from his own place, I think this is not easy. Because living in a culture is not the same as understanding it. Someone living their whole life somewhere understands this culture totally, just because he/she lives in it since he/she was born, thus the culture is in the bone. But I still think it is possible to understand.
Pei Zhi / China
Of course foreigners can understand China. Foreigners lead in scientific discoveries and can understand even more complicated things than China. But can foreigners ever accept this understanding?
Janina / Germany
Of course! As a foreigner living in China I understand the difficulty. However I am in China and in your land and should do my best to adapt to your culture. I have never had a problem with any Chinese person when I needed help. It is ridiculous to say that we cannot understand each other and all get along.
Name and country unknown
Can Chinese ever understand America? We have a long way to go to improve each other. As the world becomes smaller with the progress of technology, I believe we will see a resurgence in all things local and culturally specific. People will enjoy having the connection to the rest of the world, but it will also create a need to acknowledge the value and worth of their uniqueness. As we work to understand each other and develop a global economy, we will become increasingly sensitive to our differences.
rickymay / US
Understanding yes, but accepting China to the fullest like Chinese: no.
Hans / Netherlands
Some of them I guess; very few.
Fen Fang / China
We may be able to understand China but it does not mean we will agree with the Chinese way of thinking. What we will understand is that the Chinese people do things differently and think differently than we do as foreigners. So it is acceptance of differences that one must seek more so than understanding.
Eddie / country unknown
Open minds can understand anything.
Name and country unknown
What is there to understand? Chinese think they are sooo special. Well, you’re not. New place same...
Name and country unknown
Very rarely, because the Chinese pronunciation is totally different from what we speak in English. For example, if we speak some spelling in English like HUA GUANG we pronounce but in Chinese it is KHUA GUANG. So it is very difficult to every time to spell in different levels. Better Chinese should change their pronunciation
Name and country unknown
Why should they want to?
Name and country unknown
Do you want to understand China? Do you already? Is China any more mysterious than say…Germany? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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Adapting to a new country and culture is HARD. We overseas Chinese have done it. It took me years (more than 10) to be happy with Canada and its people, not because there is anything wrong with the people here - they lead happy lives - but I was feeling a lot of resentment and was not comfortable with life here for a long time. The immigrant experience is, as people have pointed out, very difficult, and it takes time, a lot of time, to become adapted enough that life can be lived again. So having lived in China for a few years and finding it incredibly difficult is no reason to say that there is no hope at the end of the tunnel; after all, one's perspective on life in China might also change with time, and one might learn how to derive poetry from Beijing's streets, from its grimy buses, its autumn days, its language, etc.
Apr 09, 2012 06:57 Report Abuse
Derek, y did u leave China? Why r u living in Canda? Why dont u come back? U should not live in Canada, u must come here to derive poetry from, "Beijing's streets, from its grimy buses, its autumn days, its language, etc." Read comment number 12, and I agree with Vel that you really knows whats going on here thats y u left China. And whats going on here just read the comment of Jim at 15. Anyways, who knows better than, thats y u left your country. But I appreciate that you are still speaking in its favor but those who have got real experience here would never believe ur deceptive message.
Jun 05, 2012 08:41 Report Abuse
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