Living in China for 7 Years - A Reflection

Now, for a while I have been dealing with a certain sort of perturbed anguish having come across various hate posts against China and the Chinese. These posts come from all across the world, sometimes from my friends and acquaintances, the ones who never bother to post anything on social media. The ones who have never been to China. The ones who do not work in a capacity to gauge the situation they are trying to address. They go on to point out how China is readying to take on the world and how the world should resist China’s aggression. They make open shout outs for boycotting Chinese companies, for blocking Chinese apps and what not. And at some level all of these trickles down to people. You and me, every non-Chinese holding a certain perception of Chinese to be an invasive race - a threat!

As someone who has spent the past 7 years in China, I believe I am obligated to share a few observations at a personal level, that I hope will at least help the reader look at these things through a fair lens. I claim not to be a China expert of any kind by no means. Yet I believe it is important for those who had been inside of this country to voice out the truth as lies flood about this country in the outside world.

In 2013 when I first got here, I too belonged to those set of people who had preconceived notions about China being a country where people had no freedom of speech or movement. I imagined an autocratic government in sole control. I told myself ‘two years tops; and then I get out of here’! In all senses I was prepared to live a guarded life. However, 2-3 months in China made me realize I was so wrong about everything I felt China was.

As I started learning the language one of the first things I noticed was people in China did have freedom of expression and how! If only one would be able to read enough Chinese, they will know how some moves of the government are criticized by the general public. As far as freedom of movement is concerned China is such a safe country in that going out late evenings are always considered normal. Slowly but surely, I started appreciating the Chinese government more than I imagined I would. And more importantly I realized how efficient a government body they have. As much as the world can criticize the one-party rule, I see the democratic elements in this socialist set up. Every political leader is constantly evaluated on the results they bring about. If they have to be voted up, they better be doing a good job. All of them who join the party start at grass roots levels and are only given a chance to move up the ladder as long as they prove their worth. A true testament of a well-run government body that could ultimately lift 800 million people out of poverty. Which other world government can claim this level of success, I wonder.

Perhaps China’s cultural aspects play a big role in getting China in this place of being perceived wrongly. They seldom make a noise to tell the world as to who they are and what they are up to, leaving everything to the outside world’s imagination. While the rest of the world considers this as China working in the stealth mode, in reality this is just the cultural disposition of the country. Chinese in general believe in doing than talking. But, the world perceives this as lack of transparency. While in reality it is just that China as a country lacks the ‘soft skills’ to be ‘seen and heard’ leaving everything in the hands of the foreign media outlets to paint a picture in the light of their own discernment. The complex language mandarin, in which work and life within China operates makes it all the more difficult for the world outside to make sense of everything China is.

So where does the problem lie? Who are these people who spread the hate and why? Well let’s say at a geopolitical level it may have something to do with power struggles and world dominance. However, for commoners like you and I. what makes us feel a certain way about a country, especially when we have had no real ground level interactions? I believe for the most, people like us are driven by the feelings we associate with words. Words we grew up with, attaching a certain meaning and emotion.

As we grow up and learn a language we unknowingly associate certain emotions to words. Let’s say when we hear the word democracy we feel ‘safe' and 'in control’ giving us a secure feeling where as when we hear the word communism we associate it to ‘subservience' and 'autocracy’ which then builds fearfulness.

These notions drive us as humans to have unwavering confidence in dispositions our minds weave. And most of us never try to fact check. Nor we want to go through the pain of gaining first hand experiences. Nope, we are too comfortable in our little worlds and we assume it is okay to judge everyone else from that cozy little nook of misconceptions and misgivings we have built for ourselves.

Yet maybe I can try to explain in all simple words what it is to be living in China. Day to day, my life isn’t lived too different from living it anywhere else in the world. Over the years I have blended in despite the many obvious differences. I find China to be full of cultured people who are willing to accept you and make you comfortable in their land.

• where I was called in by my supervisor one of these days, as tensions between India and China mounted, to extend his assurance for a neutral workplace and to encourage me to keep making meaningful contributions at work
• where I take Bollywood dance lessons from a Chinese teacher!
• where my help at home has learnt to make the complex batter of my favorite morning breakfast bread (Appam, a South Indian favorite)

At the end of it its people like you and I, most of us trying our best to live a good life within our means. Sometimes we forget that. We forget someone from a distant country is also no different from us. To be able to become so culturally assimilated in many different settings that you feel like you belong nowhere, is a gift. To look at people of different color and creed and to feel the connectedness is what the world needs. I seek you to promise yourself to remain curious until you learn for yourself the truth, rather than make assumptions and pass hurtful judgement.