JC June 6th

We met in the hotel lobby at 8:20AM and trekked our way across a large expanse of campus to one of the Chinese language rooms. We were given handouts by our language instructor for the morning on basic Chinese greetings and conversational introductions.

After a grueling two and a half hours of learning new jaw, teeth, and tongue movements to make the sounds indicative of Chinese, we headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch. One of the universities hosts selected menu items that were both traditional and native to the Wuhan cuisine is spicier than many other varieties of Chinese food.  Among the offerings were: squid and noodles in a hot pepper soup, pan fried carp, coated beef strips with green onion and peppers, hot spiced cold noodles with vegetables, sliced and glazed duck, fried rice appetizers, and the traditional dessert - watermelon slices. The total cost of seven dishes times two tables was under 200 RMB (under $30 U.S. dollars) – or a mere $3 per person. region.

After lunch, the tables were cleared and groups were formed consisting of one MBA student and three undergraduate students. Groups were instructed to consider, discuss, and compare the differences and similarities between the Chinese culture and the American culture - and for undergraduates to begin to think about and formalize some ideas for their written component of their class deliverable.

My group discussed some of the ideas they had about their written project. Some of the cultural topics considered were the following:

• Living Standards – Comparative Analysis
• Differences in American middle class vs. Chinese middle class
• Differences in social and societal norms
• The language of China and social interactions (norms) vs. Japan and other cultures

More detailed topics included a discussion about how much the Chinese seem to know about the United States, yet, how little many American’s seem to know about the Chinese. Some students mentioned that they had met some students who were embarrassed that their English was not as good as they hoped when speaking with us and that the Chinese go out of their way to help. Other group members described how informed the Chinese seem to be about the outside world – yet still innocent because America has a lot more research resources available given what the group believed to be censorship by the Chinese government.

I found the following comment intriguing – “America does a lot of research. Chinese accept what they are told as truth.”

Other differences included the high service element exhibited by the Chinese. Often, students would be helped by Chinese when trying on clothes and always, the Chinese were eager to help with any needs. The gap between the service decline in America vs. the highly motivated service in China appeared significant. In China, high work morale, motivation, and a sense of pride in one’s work were ranked high by all group members. It was also mentioned that China appeared very commercialized in cities. Everywhere – attractive Chinese and American models touted products that everyone should buy. The dress of college students also suggested there was significant branding and marketing by companies.

Next. Students were asked to compile a list of questions to ask Chinese students at a later class. The following is the list composed by our group:

1. What do you think America is like?
2. What are your goals?
3. Are there any drug related problems among students at the university? If so, what?
4. What are some of the things you like and things you don’t like about the university?
5. Where do you think the Chinese economy will be in 10 years?
6. What do you think about Chinese coming to America and becoming U.S. citizens?
7. What do you think about Chinese who have left China and adopted American ways?
8. How much does gas cost?

Lastly. The entire class opened a general discussion about differences and similarities in the culture and economics of China.

At 3:30PM, Chico students broke out into one on one and two on one (Chico, China) groups with Chinese students. David and I spoke with both Candy and Crystal (students at Huazhong) about their hopes, goals, and dreams. I found it interesting that almost anywhere I went, Chinese youth had adopted American names to greet U.S. citizens with. This was also true of our tour guides.

Crystal, a bright young lady in her third year, is the newspaper reporter for the university’s school newspaper. This was the first year the school began publishing a school newspaper and Crystal was curious about why we came to visit her school. We explained that we were interested in understanding her culture and the Chinese people, and that we were both business majors who hoped to understand the Chinese economy better. She also wanted to know how we felt about China, who we were, how long were we staying, where we would be traveling to, and if we had traveled abroad before.

After a half hour of small group discussion, we broke out into larger groups of additional students and three representatives from each group (Chinese students and American students) spoke to the group about what we had learned.

Later. Crystal led the Chico group to their business library – which possessed over 200,000 books on business and economics. The school also publishes a business/management magazine that is used throughout China. Interestingly, the library is sponsored by Anheiser-Busch and a picture of Steve Bremmer and a school official adorned one of the columns in the library.

We also visited a computer room which consisted of over 50 computer monitors and headphones for students to learn different languages. Shortly thereafter, students from Huazhong and Chico gathered outside for a picture.

That evening, Crystal and a few other Huazhong students, graciously accompanied part of the Chico group to dinner at an American restaurant in one of the downtown Wuhan shopping centers. Some of us enjoyed traditional Chinese dishes, while others enjoyed a Chinese version of American food. We were also able to log onto computer terminals and check e-mail on a free Wi-Fi network at the restaurant.

Jumping on the bus back to the university – we were again reminded that American’s must not frequent the area. Intrigued glances from Chinese locals and our obvious ignorance of the Chinese language made us an interesting group to behold.

Once back at the university gate, Crystal accompanied me and another student to a separate internet café to try our luck at a faster system. She was a consummate host and wonderful friend to have met here.

After we were finished, we hurried back to the hotel and I fell immediately into bed after a long day.