Any international politics scholar will note the importance of intercultural understanding for improving relations among nations. In fact, it is safe to say that many, if not all, disagreements in a globalizing world can be solved through a better understanding of such relationships. Probably the best example of this can be seen in the East vs. West dichotomy of the relationship between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China.
Looking further into this relationship, it becomes clear that the United States and China represent a bipolar international political system. The US is a long-time world power that recently emerged from another bipolar system: the Cold War. China, though, is a young (the PRC only formed in 1949) and rising power, which could take over the international role the United States has arguably held for decades.
However, understanding the Chinese-American relationship and predicting how it will develop involves much more than simple familiarity with the current political system; it also requires a willingness to view this relationship within a cultural context.
I should mention that I have spent several months living in China, among both Chinese and non-Chinese students, and stayed with a host family in Beijing for two months. During my time in Beijing, in such close proximity with a Chinese family, obvious differences emerged, even within the first twenty-four hours.
On my first full day living with my family, I thought my host father asked me what would be a good time for dinner. I suggested 7 p.m., and he seemed fine with that. Whether it was his thick Beijing accent or my sub-par Chinese, I didn’t realize that I told my family that 7 p.m. would be a good time for lunch, not dinner. This approximately seven hour misunderstanding did not occur to me until 5:00 p.m., when everyone was hungry since lunch hadn’t been served yet. My family at home would have just forced me to choose another time.
Making generalizations of any one nation’s culture always involves treading lightly. Coming to conclusions about Chinese culture based on this incident alone would be unwise. However, one conclusion I can draw with some certainty from my experiences in China is the country’s fascination with, and admiration, for the United States. This is not to say that Chinese nationalism is insignificant. My stay in Beijing coincided with the 2008 Summer Olympics, and I saw just how excited the Chinese were as their country dominated in every area of competition. In fact, several American classmates who went on the program with me were somewhat annoyed by boisterous Chinese celebrations.
However, it is safe to say that Western culture has extensively permeated China, and this has helped generate a rather positive attitude toward the United States. Various forms of Chinese entertainment have either been largely Americanized or have come directly from America itself. Vendors in urban markets will commonly sell knock-off American products, including DVDs, jewelry, and purses. Contemporary Chinese music is becoming more and more like westernized pop, and frequently American music itself is played in China.
American and European sports are also extremely popular. Every member of my host family was a strict follower of the NBA; they collectively knew more about my own country’s sports than I did. At least once a week, I would see my host brother and several of his friends wearing “Kobe” shirts, expressing their admiration for the most popular American basketball player in China.
During the Olympics, my rather wealthy host parents acquired quite a few Olympics tickets, and my brother’s first choice among them was not to see Yao Ming and the Chinese basketball team, but to see Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, and the rest of the American basketball stars.
Americans need to realize that while China may be en route to equaling it as a world, economic power, the Chinese are still largely fascinated by the West and its magnificence. By examining China from a cultural perspective rather than a political or economic one, it becomes clear that China may not be the great threat to “American democracy” that politicians and the American media like to portray it as.
This is not to say China is harmless by any means. However, in order to improve its relationship with China and avoid antagonism, America will need to drop the Cold War mindset. It’s not “Us vs. Them.” It’s “Us and Them” in an ever evolving and interconnected world, and understanding this is the first step in a larger process to develop stronger and more mutually-beneficial relationships among the world’s great powers,
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