Myth Busters

Are the Chinese people all super-intelligent?
School is very important to the Chinese culture. There are enormous pressures on students to do well in school in general but on certain exams in particular. I’ll save my tirade on learning vs. rote memorization for some other time. There is a great emphasis on the maths and sciences and the students here work at a more advanced level than I have seen in American schools. For example, they study electric circuits in middle school and organic chemistry in high school. I am told they have art class and such but I don’t really see the result of this. In other words, the liberal arts education has suffered for the sake of the hard sciences—some people may not think this is a big deal, but I think it leads to a lack of creativity.

Do the Chinese play ping pong?
Yes. As I mentioned, they like to play basketball, that kicking game (I’ve been told the name of it but I can’t remember), and they also like badminton and ping pong (though they refer to it as table tennis when talking to me, so I guess they don’t realize that we recognize it by its Chinese name). I couldn’t resist teaching them how to play the college version aka beer-pong…but only in theory of course!

Do the Chinese eat dog?
Yes, I’ve asked about this and I am told that there are certain restaurants that you go to for dog, for which I am grateful because I know I won’t eat dog on accident. According to Ricky, dog is an expensive dish, though he couldn’t explain why. This seems a little strange to me since it is not like dogs are rare…but I guess they are not just picking strays off the street…

Do the Chinese eat fortune cookies?
I have not seen a single fortune cookie since I’ve been here. I tried explaining to my students once what a fortune cookie was and how iconic it is as part of the Chinese-American culture but they had no idea what I was talking about. They do have what they call fortune-dumplings, which is a dumpling with a coin amongst the filling. Sounds like a good way to crack a tooth to me.

Do the Chinese eat rice with every meal?
Actually, no. I have never seen rice served as a dish. It is readily available, however, since every house and restaurant has it; all you have to do is ask for it and you will get a small bowl. I am told that many people eat rice for breakfast, but since I have never eaten breakfast with people here, I don’t know what these dishes look like.

Are all Chinese kung-fu fighters?
Again, no. I have not seen a single person practicing anything remotely close to a martial art. I’ve asked Ricky about this too and he says that you can find fighting schools in the city, but it seems much less prolific than one might believe. Beyond that, the people here don’t seem to fight much at all. I have seen a few people throw play-punches and I can tell they have never learned how to throw a proper punch. Granted, I’m tougher you’re your average girl, but I’m pretty sure I can kick anybody’s butt around here. People do practice Tai Qi pretty often and they “exercise”, which is in quotations because the exercises I have observed are not strenuous for muscles nor are they cardio workouts. However, whatever they do, it must keep them fit because I have seen many more old people here out and about and they seem, on average, more agile than the elderly I have observed in America.

Are the Chinese, in general, a small people?
There are some people here who barely reach past my navel with their heels on. Of course, there are some taller people too. I think the height difference between men and women is slightly less than what I observe in other races and I am about as tall as most of the men so I am a few inches taller than most of the women.

What do the Chinese think of their own government?
This one is tricky because I’ve been told flat-out, “we don’t talk about politics”. That in itself is a big indicator to me. At the same time, as I have said before, the Chinese are a pretty happy people and to work for the government is to have an honorable and prestigious job. I think in general, the people believe that the government has their best interest at heart and that what their government does it for the good of the country. Of course education is never unbiased so what the students learn here is certainly colored. I have been told that when the lesson on the Cultural Revolution is given in history, that a party representative sits in the classroom.

What do the Chinese think of the rest of the world?
Of course China has some serious cultural pride, but what country doesn’t? Sometimes I am surprised at the things my students don’t know about world history, geography, and culture, but then again, it may not be that they don’t know it, it might just be that we don’t understand each other. Coming from a country of immigrants where I am constantly exposed to cultural differences, I do think that the Chinese are sheltered from the rest of the world. It should be noted, I am in Taian which is rather remote, and might have a different impression if I were in a city.