The Diaries

June 22, 2009

Dichotomies

Posted by David Deeds

In my last post, I referred to some dichotomies that I had been noticing. These are simply observations I have made during my stay here. To really understand what is driving what appears to be difference in philosophy would take more information. I have noticed that on an individual level the students and staff (collectively) at DNU are generally very aware of their consumption and disposal of consumer goods. Some examples of individual and institutional behavior that demonstrate responsible consumption:

1) The first day we arrived, and each weekend since, students laid out carpets to mark spaces on the wide sidewalks surrounding the cafeteria and proceeded to sell, to other students, things that they no longer needed or could not transport away from campus. These generally were not large items (since students here have very few if any of the things we find in American dorms) but things like books, paper, posters, etc. The best kind of environmental responsibility (reuse as opposed to recycling) driven by what is probably individual economics.
2) At the university and neighborhood restaurants, uneaten food is not thrown away. Instead it is collected and sold (I haven’t confirmed this) to farms for livestock feed. This reminded me of a “Dirty Jobs” episode where something similar to this was happening in Las Vegas. Despite this example, to my knowledge this largely does not happen in the US.

These behaviors I contrast (and therefore arrive at the dichotomy) with the behavior of building and facility owners (again I lump them all together since I don’t know who they are). We have been told several times how this area was only a small fishing village of 400 just 25 years ago. Therefore, we know that no building is over that age. However to look at many of them you would think they are much older. There appears to be a general lack of maintenance once a structure is constructed (this is a generalization and doesn’t apply to all buildings). There is a 20 plus story building just on the edge of campus that appears to be largely abandoned (and will probably be demolished) while only a few blocks away several multi-story new buildings are being constructed.

Americans do follow this same process of building and abandonment but generally it takes more than 25 years and when it does happen it involves whole neighborhoods. So I am not saying we are any better. But we are also voracious consumers and disposers of resources so that does not surprise me. The difference is in how many of the Chinese individuals and building/facility owners behave so differently.

June 15, 2009

Chinese Student Presentations

Posted by David Deeds

Today we had the opportunity to hear a ten minute presentation from each of the ten Chinese students that have been participating in our Global Skills class. Each presentation was well researched and presented. The topics ranged from Chinese history, tourism, interpersonal relations, the economy, foreign investment and rationalization of the high savings rate of Chinese people. Each of the students continued to demonstrate a high degree of fluency in English.

The students, with a few exceptions, generally tended to use a fair amount of animation in their presentation. This was really the only significant difference between how our students are taught to make presentations (minimal, if any animation) and the ones we saw today.

Several of the presentations piqued my interest, however a few things I noted:

1) There seems to be a pattern in the discussion of Chinese history that started with our guide in Beijing. The Chinese seem to be very proud, rightfully so, of their several thousand year history and often mention various dynasties culminating with the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty ended in 1911. The history then seems to jump to 1949 and the establishment of the PRC under Chairman Mao. There was one brief mention of Sun Yat-sen in a student presentation today.
2) The discussion of Chinese relationships and the statement that Western people seek the truth and Chinese people seek harmony.
3) In 2005, Chinese people had a personal savings rate of approximately 46% of their income. As compared to a US personal savings rate of that ranged from -1% to just above 4% from 2000 through 2008.

The student presenter very effectively explained some reasons for this variation:
i. The cost of housing in two medium sized cities cited was 28 times disposable income as compared to a developing nations standard of four to six times disposable income.
ii. 85% of Chinese citizens are NOT covered by health insurance and therefore must pay any medical costs out of pocket.
iii. 80% of laborers do not benefit from pension plans, therefore they and their family are responsible for all costs following retirement
iv. A family’s son, if they have one, is legally responsible for the care of his parents in their old age. Note that most Chinese are allowed to have only one child.

These interesting pieces of information that give me additional insight in the Chinese people and hopefully better equips me to successfully develop relationships with our new friends.

Dichotomies

All people have dichotomies in their beliefs and behaviors. However, there are a few that I have found interesting during our time here. I will write more on these in a future blog.

June 14, 2009

Continued Commitment

Posted by David Deeds

Our hosts in Dalian have been extremely gracious. Should a group visit Iowa in the future, I think about the level of commitment that it will require to match our hosts’ effort. It will require a coordinated effort from faculty, staff, and students to begin to return the hospitality we have experienced during our visit. We have had a very busy schedule. Largely, except for the time we spend in the room, we have had at least two students and a staff member accompany us. Hospitality, here goes much further than a friendly hello from several people on the day of arrival.

June 12, 2009

Posted by DeWayne

China: the new multinational

Posted by David Deeds

Today, we continued to experience the multinational nature of Dalian. We participated in our Global Skills class in the morning with ten Chinese students who are fluent in English. In the afternoon, we visited a candle factory making small batch candles (up to 5,000 units) operated by Chinese managers, owned by Germans with all production for non-Chinese markets. Asked about what language is used in their communication with the German parent company, the Chinese assistant manager responded “English”. Finally, in the evening, we faculty were fortunate to have dinner with a Chinese Dalian Port manager who attended high school in Long Beach, CA and graduated from Iowa State University and his friend who grew up in Taiwan and New Zealand and now worked in real estate development in Dalian. The dinner (which was exceptional) was at a Japanese restaurant with a Japanese owner.

This only re-enforces my belief that our students (and fellow Americans) need to open our minds and experiences to the wider world.

Chinese language lessons

Today was day five of our daily Chinese language instruction. The proper pronunciation of the language continues to be a challenge. Our version of English speech doesn’t require a high degree of precision in pronunciation. Chinese on the other hand requires an attention to detail for both the speaker and the listener. A good, patient teacher (which we have here) as well as hard work is probably required for us to have much success with the language.

June 8, 2009

The Great Wall

Posted by David Deeds

China Diaries

Kelly

China Tour

Samantha

Nick

Stewart

Joe

Alex

Faculty Members

Christine

Gordon

David

Map of China

June 22, 2009

Dichotomies

June 15, 2009

Chinese Student Presentations

June 14, 2009

Continued Commitment

June 12, 2009

June 12, 2009

China: the new multinational

June 8, 2009

The Great Wall

Syndicate this site (XML)