Alex in China

Back in the day (“the day” being about 7 weeks ago) I saw something interesting that caught my eye while walking the streets of Tian. We had just walked down into a plaza type area where there was a group of elders practicing a Chinese dance that resembled something along the lines of Tai Chi. No more than 20 ft to right of the elders was a group of youths skateboarding a makeshift skate-park. It was an odd sight to behold. On the left was an activity full of Chinese culture and history…on the right was an American sport that had probably only become popular in China within the last ten years. Two different cultures, two different age groups, one piece of land…a perfect analogy of the current situation in China.

China is going through some strange times right now in the culture department. On the one hand it has a history of over 5000 years under it’s belt, not something to be taken lightly. On the other it has an booming economy that is turning the nation into a sponge for western culture. And by western culture, I mean American culture. Times are changing in China and they are experiencing an exposure to western culture that they have never experienced before. As the economy continues to grow and the common Chinese person earns more money, China is turning into a prime market for American companies. So what happens when these two cultures clash?

That skateboard scene I mentioned above isn’t the only instance of culture clash you can see, it’s all over the place. In almost all situations there is also the age gap present. The youth have adapted to western culture much more so than the older generations. A good, simple example is shoes.

The youth? They love all the same brands I do…Adidas, Nike, etc. The elderly? They tend to stick with the more traditional black slipper type shoes that you can buy off of any street corner. Aaron and I call these shoes “Shaolin monk shoes”…they really do look like something you’d imagine a Buddhist monk running around in. (we actually bought a few pairs)

I’m really not sure where I see this “culture battle” going but it’s interesting to see in action. Who knows, maybe the tables will turn one day and we’ll find our own nation being influenced by Eastern culture. It’d definitely be ironic and I can’t pretend like I wouldn’t be interested in seeing the results! -a