Entry#5 Qin and Mao

When our group went to Xi An it made me think about the history of China and the importance that it still holds today. Before the Qin dynasty, China was quite divided almost as if several countries were occupying the same land. There was no centralized governing system and the social, political, and cultural connections between the many parts of China were few and far between. The goal of the Qin dynasty before it was a dynasty was to unify China.

The Qin army was able to overtake and control China, because they're soldiers fought so selflessly and valiantly. They felt that there was a higher purpose than their own existence as individuals, thus spawning a strong fervor that was greater than the likes of which any Chinese army had experienced before. The message of unification I believe brought many people in all areas initially a sense of hope. It brought them a sense that there were better days to come and that a better life was just beyond the horizon. Therefore the Qin army gained great support from many and had many people join their ranks.

As it is seen in many examples in history, whether it be the Revolutionary War in what is now the United States of America, The French Revolution,or in The Chinese Revolution with Mao Zedong as their leader, people flock to this idea of a new life and a new society and a new inclusion that they did not have before. The problem arises when the governing body itself comes into power. It is always easy to fight for an ideal. Living by it and properly carrying it out requires other methods and many sacrifices.

The downfall of the Qin dynasty came due to the fact that they wanted to unify China so much that they lost sight of individual states, provinces, and areas where the people's culture had great importance to them. To many of these people, losing their own culture was much more of a concern and a resentment than the promise that a unified China could entail. Because the Qin dynasty imposed a new culture and rejected the practicing of other customs, the dynasty lost the hope of the people.

I draw a comparison to the revolution that Mao waged. Mao started off very similarly. The idea of communism was very appealing to many. So many were disenfranchised and sought the promise of equality that they were willing to side with Mao. Although by the end of The Long March, Mao's ranks were very limited, he still had the support of the people. Because of this he was finally able to take control of China and start his new government. I believe that Mao unlike the Qin dynasty, very successfully kept a facade of false hope amongst the populous especially since his underlying message revolved around those who could have the greatest impact in overthrowing his government: I.E. The peasants. I think that it is also possible that Mao in going about his revolution, kept in mind the consequences of the Qin dynasty and through his actions and results demonstrated a true application of understanding the historical context that preceeded him long ago.

The trip to Xi An made me realize how people as a whole truly can learn from history and apply the lessons of the past as to accomplish their goals in the future. Part of the value of the rich history of China lies in the lessons that can be seen in so many different time periods and in so many different ways. When visiting these places that are so important to the history of China, it is ever so important to contemplate the possible ramifications that the lessons of the past can have on the present day.

Entry#4 Language Ups and Downs

When it comes to learning a language, it is very easy to have the misconception that every day one will perform better, it only gets easier as you go, and that one doesn't get fatigued as he or she acquires a language constantly. During my experience in China, I've been noticing a lot of different factors when it comes to learning language and never really sorted them out and in this blog entry I'm going to see if I can make some sense of these thoughts.

The first thing I very quickly noticed and have experienced throughout my time in China is that progress in language is not a steady progression to the highest level, but rather a very bumpy ride. On the first day that we actually went around and got situated with our classes I ended up speaking a lot of Chinese and got more comfortable with what I was saying. I thought that day was the start of constant progress that would continue consistently. The opposite of what really happened. I noticed that in the next days that passed that sometimes I felt as if all the progress I had made before went away. It sort of felt as if I didn't know anything and that I had frozen. The same scenario has happened over and over again. But what does it mean?

I think when learning a language and especially in direct application like being in the country that a language is spoken, I think that most people with me definitely included can only take in so much information at once. I don't have to be a scientist to say that when one is speaking in another language, they are using his or her brain in a way that he or she is not accustomed. I think this brings about a lot of fatigue. It's only natural to feel this way but it doesn't necessarily explain a lack of performance on a later day. I think I do worse on some days because I am fatigued not in the sense of an short period of time, but rather an overarching long term sense of fatigue that builds up over time. That is to say, language learners feel fatigue in short periods of time like a day and feel it in regards to the accumulation of language acquisition.

I think this fatigue is the same as getting better at anything. I guess what it really comes down to is that no one can ever expect anything to go completely smoothly. There are always going to be bumps in the road and problems ahead. The effort will always pay off though. Even if it's not immediate, it will happen and one's goals will be realized. I always knew that these difficulties existed but it just never directly hit me like it has during this trip. It's ok though. The same thing happened when learning kung-fu. I actually liked the bad days. It made me feel comforted because I knew that a good day was soon to come.

Learning a language is like being a beggar. One must pick up the scraps that everyone leaves behind and savor them. One must let them nourish his or herself and continue looking for more. It is easy to lose hope and feel like the effort it futile. But however, one day the beggar might find a great feast instead of small scraps. At the same time, the beggar might not eat for another four days. What makes it even more difficult is that the beggar has a feast waiting for him or her in the area of which they are comfortable tempting them at all times. Everyone can decide to not learn a language and just be good at their native tongue. Such is the hardships and crests and troughs that are associated with language acquisition. The most important thing is to accept it and know that it is part of the process of language acquisition and to believe that at the end of the day, it really is all worth it.

Explanation of pictures:

In the first picture, there is a women crouching by a curb brushing her teeth. This represented a language up for me, because I was able to say in my head what she was doing.

In the second picture, there are two men playing a game. This represented a language down for me, because when I asked the men if I could take a picture, I used the incorrect word for picture.

Entry#3 one race

As China is a one race society, most people at least in the north speak Mandarin and only use Standard Chinese to communicate. Although there are minorities, the difference between them and the majority strictly in terms of race is not the same as the difference between blacks and whites or Europeans and Indian people. When I was on the plane to China the person sitting next to me described China exactly as a one race society. Therefore, anyone who isn't Chinese or doesn't look Chinese is a foreigner in their eyes.

Since China does not have a mixed race society like what I am used to in the United States, their culture is much more tied to their race. Therefore someone who does not have the same race as them is someone who is not part of their culture. This makes the expectations that they have for people who do not look like them very low. They for the most part expect most of them to not speak Chinese. They have stereotypes of people from different places from television and movies, and they feel like there is a great barrier between them and anyone else.

I understand how they feel in this regard, because if I were in their position, I would feel the same way. It is for this reason that they are so surprised when someone can even speak Chinese at the low level that I can. What I say is not profound or difficult by any means, but it does represent and reflect the great amount of effort that I've put into being able to say what little I can. I think that from my talking to Chinese people and asking them questions that they really do know that they speak a difficult language. There are so many words and expressions that can only pertain to one thing and nothing else, whereas in English, it is more common for one word to pertain to many situations.

It feels really relaxing in a way to have Chinese people have low expectations of me. In a way they'll always be surprised no matter what I can say. I also feel more relaxed talking to complete strangers than I would if I were in the US. In the US I'm nothing special, but here I'm an anomaly and that makes people much more friendly towards me. It's an interesting manifestation that I didn't expect to occur. I thought at first that they would be a little more mean in a sense and not want to have anything to do with me but quite the opposite has happened. I'll continue to talk and interact with people and see if I can get more reactions and try to exceed their expectations of what I can do even more. It would definitely represent the US really well if I did that and in a sense possibly improve the relations between our two countries.

Explanation of picture:

In this photo, the two men wanted to take a picture with me, because they never see people of my race in China.

Entry#2 Shan Dong

Shan Dong

So this weekend our group went to Shan Dong province in China where we went and saw the house of Confucius and Mount Tai. Confucius' home town is most definitely one of the most important places in China. The comparison that I think that we have in the United States is Mount Vernon where George Washington lived. People come from all over China and all over the world to visit the Confucius temple as well as that of Mengzi. The same happens in the United States with Mount Vernon. This brings about the question: why do people go to these places and why is it significant? The best way for me to answer this is to use my own experiences in both places and my own knowledge of the historical context around these two figures.

Beginning with George Washington, he is so famous and idolized as the quintessential representation of the United States, because he grew up as a normal person who had money and power. This is not however what makes him so highly regarded. He failed to ward off the French as a young military officer and this brought shame upon him, but this did not stop him from persevering. When he led the United States to victory, he did so with great bravery and sacrifice and declined to be king later. He showed valor, modesty, and had his interest on the well being of the nation instead of his own. It is for this reason that when I go to Mount Vernon these thoughts are always in my head and I try to relate and imagine what it must have been like for him living there. Seeing where he worked and where he made decisions is invaluable. One gets the aura or the feeling of being connected with a figure who is so important. By visiting Mount Vernon it makes me think about my own identity and what it means to be an American and how I can translate his values into my own actions.

I draw a similar connection to the life of Confucius. He never was in any very high ranking positions in the government, and when he died he was poor and for the most part alone except for a few followers that kept loyal to him. He became such an icon and figure of moral excellence due to the message that he wrote about, lived by, and conveyed to everyone around him. People wanted to follow him and his example, because of his message was one that China for the most part did not have before him. He gave people a guide and a clear message on how to be morally responsible, virtuous and righteous. It is for this reason that China is the way that it is today in regards to their low crime rate and their overall friendliness as a people in my opinion. When I was in the temple I thought similar things as to when I was in Mount Vernon. I thought about what it must have been like for him to come up with these ideas of morality when he lived in a world that desperately needed it. I thought about his struggles and how his legacy has been so important as to draw so many people to the temple.

I noticed how one of our tour guides Mark had a camera and was taking pictures of everything too. It surprised me that he had not gone before. Even for someone who has lived in China his whole life, the experience of first going to this temple is invaluable. I believe Chinese people go to this temple and continue to see it in order to find a way of reconnecting with the message of Confucius and spending more time to reflect within themselves about how they can exhibit ren2 to their loved ones and hopefully finally to the entire world. The real value of seeing Mount Vernon and the Temple of Confucius and Mengzi lies in the self reflection that can be brought about by journeying to these places. These locations are a sort of landmark for all people to stop their fast hectic lives and to really slow down and try to get to the root of the problems within their family, their work, their friends, and the world.

I finally now have two perspectives on how certain figures in Western society and Eastern society can have such a grand impact on people all over the world. Being able to travel to the hometown of Confucius let me make this connection and realize how although us Westerners live so far from the people of China, we still appreciate and admire the grand figure of the past that wove the moral fiber of our society that made us what we are today.


Explanation of pictures:

These are two pictures that we saw in Qufu.

1st blog entry Culture shock

Justin Modessa (Ma Zhengxie)

Blog entry #1

When the word culture shock is mentioned, it is usually something that most people in my experience take pretty likely. They think it means adjusting to food that is different or adjusting to people being late or early to appointments. I myself did not think too much about the word culture shock. However, nothing could have prepared me for the greatest culture shock I have ever experienced.

I've been to a few other countries like Mexico and the Bahamas. The transition was not difficult at all. However coming to China was completely different. I'm used to life in the United States where we have many different races. There are African Americans, Mexicans, Indonesians, and of course, even Chinese people. If I were working in a store in the United States and I saw one person come into the door that were all of these races, it would not be strange at all. The same cannot be said for China.

For the first time in my life I really felt completely like an alien. I felt as if I were from another planet and I was visiting another one. The idea that every person in this land is Chinese and nothing else is just so difficult for me to comprehend. Although China has minorities I think the comparison cannot be made to the situation in the United States. I really felt and still do feel like an alien when I walk down the street and every person I encounter stares at me, because they are not accustomed to to seeing people with my appearance. It happens every day and everywhere I go, but this happens because they are making a judgment about me based on my appearance.

In my opinion the best way for me to overcome and adjust to this shock that I feel is to hone my level in the Chinese language more and more. I need to keep improving my language ability, because I notice that when people see me being able to talk to them, they respond so much better than I thought they would. They view me more as one of them than before. Their judgmental mindset starts to not exist, or at least not have as much influence. As the days pass I'll talk more and see how much more I can improve. This will be the only way to really get over the shock, because then I'll have nothing to be afraid of.

Explanation of picture:

Before I came to China, I had many misconceptions about the Chinese culture, just as Mark, our tour-guide in this picture, has many misconceptions of the American culture. I believe that if he ever visited the U.S., he would experience a similar amount of culture shock as I did when I came to China.