NOT AN ATTACK ON CHINESE CULTURE. READ CAREFULLY

TWO BRIDGES – TWO CULTURES

This is a story of two bridges on opposite sides of the world, one in China, one in California It is also a story of [...]]]> WARNING: THIS ARTICLE IS A CROSS-CULTURAL LESSON,

NOT AN ATTACK ON CHINESE CULTURE. READ CAREFULLY

TWO BRIDGES – TWO CULTURES

This is a story of two bridges on opposite sides of the world, one in China, one in California It is also a story of the difference between Chinese culture and American culture.

These two bridges are dissimilar in not only size, (one rather large, and the other one very small) and aesthetics; they also share no similarity in design or capacity. Even the distance from the bridge to the water below is radically different.

Haizhu Bridge in Guangzhou China spans the Pearl River

One is the Haizhu Bridge in Guangzhou China, the other the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco California. Although dissimilar in size, design, construction and capacity, they share more than the commonality of being bridges; they are both preferred by people who have decided to take their own lives through suicide. Mentally disturbed people, who have come to believe that the pain of living far outweighs the fear of dying, decide to climb the structures and jump to their deaths. With eight attempted suicides  per month the Haizhu Bridge has earned the nickname “Suicide Bridge.”

Golden Gate Bridge spans the San Francisco Bay

The Golden Gate Bridge is the most popular place in the world for suicides, according to Wikipedia, with one death every other week. The bridge is fitted with suicide hotline telephones, and staff patrols the bridge in carts, looking for people who appear to be planning to jump. Iron workers on the bridge also volunteer their time to prevent suicides by talking or wrestling down suicidal people. The bridge is now closed to pedestrians at night. Cyclists are still permitted across at night, but must be buzzed in and out through the remotely controlled security gates. Psychiatry professionals are clamoring for a suicide net to be built under the bridge to save lives. On October 10, 2008, the Golden Gate Bridge Board of Directors voted 14 to 1 to install a plastic-covered stainless-steel net below the bridge as a suicide deterrent. The net will extend 20 feet (6 m) on either side of the bridge and is expected to cost $40–50 million to complete

But Haizhu Bridge has a reported eight attempted suicides per month according to local newspapers.

Every time someone climbs the bridge to jump,  it disrupts traffic because the lookie-loos, rubber-neckers and gawkers slow to observe the spectacle of death. Government officials have tried posting guards on the bridge and posting signs, both to no avail. As a last resort the bridge has been greased to inhibit climbing the superstructure. The language of the signs is very telling about the different cultural approaches to the identical problem  found on opposite sides of the globe.  The sign on Haizhu Bridge translates  to DO NOT DISRUPT TRAFFIC. FIND SOMEPLACE ELSE TO KILL YOURSELF.  In 2009 a would be jumper received a helping hand from a senior citizen. The senior stated that he pushed the jumper over the edge because he was frustrated with the selfishness and attention seeking of the jumper.

Two bridges, two cultures, one problem, similar solution with one major cultural difference – in San Francisco the primary cultural concern is on saving lives. In Gunagzhou, the primary cultural concern is on maintaining proper traffic flow.  (If you have ever experienced rush hour in Guangzhou you may be able to appreciate this better.)

A Guangzhou Government official was asked why the City did not provide psychological counseling to would be jumpers and to take other measures to prevent suicides. The answer was clear and simplistic. A person who has decided to commit suicide has already determined that their life is worthless so why should the Government invest any money in saving a worthless life?

In San Francisco bridge workers risk their lives to save the life of a mentally ill person intent on ending their life.  In Guangzhou it is preferred that you kill yourself in a less public location, at least one that will not disrupt traffic.

EDITOR’S NOTE ADDED MARCH 11, 2010

This article is a factual thought provoking comparison of two different cultures and different attitudes towards two different local bridges.  This is not an attack piece. This piece does not condemn, condone or make any value judgment about anyone or anything. The piece is a neutral comparison and nothing more.

Many Chinese post-graduate students felt compelled to either explain or mount a vigorous defense of everything and anything said by a foreigner about the Chinese bridge or culture. Such a reaction is very curious. It is reported that the majority of students in Chinese Studies majors will eventually be employed as the teachers of China’s next generation, a chilling thought.

It is well beyond my expertise to indulge in an analysis of the Chinese psyche that feels it must build a verbal Chinese wall around all things Chinese in order to ward off an imaginary invasion of foreign understanding of anything Chinese.  However, that does not preclude a cursory view of some of the anomalies.

There is a pervasive and unreasonable ultra-nationalistic false pride that accelerates into warp mode whenever a foreigner makes even the most benign comments about anything Chinese. For instance:

“To a certain extent, it is reasonable for each country to take the corresponding policies according to their own national conditions.” There is nothing in the article to suggest that any government has enacted any unreasonable policies.

“The key to the problem is that we should proceed from reality, explore the feasibility plan together and reference good measures each other.” The article does not suggest that there is any problem to solve.

“Unfortunately, I don’t agree with some opinions in this article.” There are no opinions expressed in the article.

“Most people who determined to commit suicide from Haizhu Bridge are losers in life…” This is a value judgment that seems to be consistent with the government attitude towards these people as reported in the article.

“…they didn’t really want to jump from the bridge; they only needed others to pay more attention on them.” Even if we had the advance ability to know what a person is thinking and what their motivation is, attention seeking at such a grand scale would warrant medical attention in the west, not someone pushing the person off the bridge. In China such an act may be condoned as assisted suicide but in the west it is MURDER.

“I was touched by the Americans’ volunteer activities to save the people trying to suicide, and shocked by the ice-cold words on the signs posted by Chinese officials. Why is there so obvious difference? … In my opinion, as the economy and culture develop further, this problem will be solved in China.” The article presented absolutely no issue as a problem. This is a self-perceived problem.

“…we still need to learn to value a person’s life…” While this personal introspective analysis may be provoked by the article and may be warranted by the realities presented in the article, there is nothing in the article that demands such.

“The author of this article may hold that people in China do not care about lives, instead they place much more importance on the effectiveness of the society.” This is an excellent example of reading between the lines and attributing things to the author that are conjured up out of thin air.

Send Province and undergraduate school informatiuon again.

All emails to the above are being rejected by your Chinese servers as spam. 

PLEASE TELL YOUR CLASSMATES [...]]]> If you sent an email using a Chinese account with yeah.com, 126.com or 163.com you need to send an email using an English email account. Use gmail, hotmail, yahoo etc. Do not use Chinese account.

Send Province and undergraduate school informatiuon again.

All emails to the above are being rejected by your Chinese servers as spam. 

PLEASE TELL YOUR CLASSMATES TO CORRECT IMMEDIATELY

Written English and spoken English are different.

Written English is formal and spoken English is informal.

Memorizing set phrases or other written English is useless in daily conversation.

China is a developing country and will remain a developing country so long as the national standard (excuse) for poor services and poor products is “This is China, so-so is ok.”

From sales clerks in department stores,  to policemen on the street,  to medical staff in the best hospitals, service is extremely poor, the [...]]]> “So-So” is NO-NO

China is a developing country and will remain a developing country so long as the national standard (excuse) for poor services and poor products is “This is China, so-so is ok.”

From sales clerks in department stores,  to policemen on the street,  to medical staff in the best hospitals, service is extremely poor, the result of apathy, indifference, and incompetence. Nobody seems to care.

Goods and products are substandard and even defective but no one complains. Chinese people have learned that complaining brings you personal trouble.

Most Chinese do not want to excel or stand out. They would rather be lost in a crowd than recognized for excellence. Criticism is expected but compliments are taboo and considered embarrassing.

“FACE” is the most prized possession. Chinese do not realize that FACE is simply false pride and has no real time value or that it in fact inhibits personal growth and development. It is not good to lose FACE (be embarrassed) or to cause someone else to lose FACE. Take FACE to Starbucks and see what it will buy. NOTHING!

Take FACE to class and refuse to participate for fear of making mistakes and losing FACE. There will be no educational progress.

Conclusion

This article has developed the argument that the influence of face in classroom interactions is pervasive, complex and powerful among Chinese, illustrated here in a UK university. The concept of face enables us to account for much Chinese behavior in the classroom setting. The four types of face-related factors: low-risk face, collective face, hierarchical face and harmonious face, which are clearly demonstrated in the three Chinese participants in this study, revealed their effectiveness in preventing the active participation of the three Chinese in the classroom activities regardless of their linguistic abilities. The dynamics of the concern for face revealed in this study has confirmed the findings of Chang and Holt (1994), Gao (1996) and Hwang (1987) concerning the face issue among Chinese in settings other than the

classroom. To cite this Article Wu, Xiaoxin(2009) ‘The dynamics of Chinese face mechanisms and classroom behavior: a case study’, Evaluation & Research in Education, 22: 2, 87 — 105

The above article is available to SYSU students on Professor Wolff’s university page.

http://engedu.sysu.org.cn/graduate/holistics/index2.html

The “collective face” retards China’s development. “So-So” is non-confrontational and allows everyone to maintain FACE. But it also insures that services and goods remain at the poorest common denominator, poor.

FACE is a direct consequence of the socialist society that criticizes and even punishes anyone who achieves, excels or stands out, but rewards those who blend in or melt into the crowd. So-So becomes the social standard, although it is a standard of mediocrity.

China’s educational system is a direct product of this collective face mentality. It fuels the test taking mentality and the chalk and talk pedagogy. Every student is required to memorize the exact same answer to each and every question. No one is allowed to think or act differently. Everyone is a robot with programmed thoughts and memorized answers and no one loses FACE. For all to succeed and not lose FACE, the regimen must be at the lowest common denominator.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE!

So long as FACE is a prized possession, China will remain a developing country. FACE predestines failure, it does not foster success.

JUST SAY “NO-NO” TO “SO-SO.”

English is not a subject you study a couple of hours a week… It is something you live 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There is no English speaking environment in China and no university makes even the slightest attempt to create one for their English majors let [...]]]> EAT, SLEEP, DRINK AND EVEN DREAM IN ENGLISH

English is not a subject you study a couple of hours a week…
It is something you live 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There is no English speaking environment in China and no university makes even the slightest attempt to create one for their English majors let alone the non-English majors required to study English.

It is therefore up to each student to create their own personal English speaking environment.

Students are encouraged to change their computer homepage to an English search engine or Google News (English) and to do all searches in English. They are also encouraged to read English news and other matters of personal interest on the web. They are also encouraged to stop using Chinese QQ and switch to English QQ.

Instead of watching Chinese movies or English movies with Chinese dubbing or subtitles; students have access to an on campus English movie library with over 500 English movies with English subtitles or no subtitles.

The students are required to attend English corner, role play an ABC (American Born Chinese) native English speaker for one entire day; and meet a new foreign friend and engage in an extensive conversation.

Patches are given that say “SPEAK ENGLISH” that the students can sew on a hat, shirt or jacket.

Students are encouraged to speak English only in their dormitory.

All students are required to send an email to a special account and to provide their correct mobile phone number.

English emails are sent to all students 3 to 5 times each week.

Students are asked to change their mobile phone language to English and to answer the phone in English. Calls are randomly made to all students, several times during the term, to confirm their compliance.

On the download page read the following articles”

The 4 Great Lies

Mute English

The beginning of any new academic semester is fraught with inevitable required adjustments. The post-graduate students (pgs) are no exception. They are required to take one semester of oral English with a foreign teacher. Most pgs have had prior undergraduate experiences with this inconsequential course where the grade does not count [...]]]>

The beginning of any new academic semester is fraught with inevitable required adjustments. The post-graduate students (pgs) are no exception. They are required to take one semester of oral English with a foreign teacher. Most pgs have had prior undergraduate experiences with this inconsequential course where the grade does not count and more often than not, the foreign teacher has a guitar and only knows how to teach English songs. The pgs have a very strong preconceived idea of what to expect from their oral English class.

As the pgs approach their 4^th floor oral English classroom they are confronted by a 200 cm x 200 cm banner.

They have no idea what “Chingland” means and “Chinglish Spoken Here” goes directly against and is directly opposed to their prior teaching that Chinglish is no good. This is the pgs first indication that something may be different.

As they approach the classroom door they look puzzled and double check the room number.

As the pgs open the door, their jaws drop, they freeze in position and get a “deer in the headlights” look. Again, they double check the assigned classroom number.

As they slowly enter the room there is a Chinese buzz. The foreign teacher actually looks like a real professor.  The professor loudly announces, “This is an English class and this is an English classroom. Why am I hearing Chinese? If you want to practice your Chinese leave.”

A hush falls over the room. The pgs ask permission to be seated. The professor advises that those pgs who have brought their books and a writing utensil may be seated. All others must leave and never return unprepared again. Those who did not bring their books or writing utensils are told to leave but they remain frozen in time and space. The professor explains that coming to a pg class at China’s #8 most famous university is intolerable kindergarten behavior and the guilty students are ordered to leave.

Sometimes an entire first class must be cancelled and rescheduled at a punitive time.

On the very first day of the semester the professor draws the line in the sand and demands that the pgs act like mature, responsible, serious students or get out. They have never had such an experience in their prior 16 years of education. They are in shock!

Fortunately, the professor knows how to bring the pgs out of shock and within minutes the classroom is filled with laughter as everyone settles down to begin their semester of fun with English acquisition.

I am a post-graduate non-English major at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

I am required to study English for one more semester. I do not want to study English. I am only doing it because it is required by the university. I will never need to use English after I graduate. I rarely [...]]]> I’m NOT Lovin it!

I am a post-graduate non-English major at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

I am required to study English for one more semester. I do not want to study English. I am only doing it because it is required by the university. I will never need to use English after I graduate. I rarely attend class, never do the homework and frankly do not care if my English improves or not. When I do attend class I sit as far away from the teacher as possible to avoid any participation in the class activities.

Some of my classmates feel differently. They know that English is increasingly important in the job market. They are highly motivated to study English because they realize that with English they can earn a higher salary. These classmates never miss a class and complete all of their homework assignments. They always sit in the front row and constantly volunteer for participation in classroom activities.

Some of my classmates study English because their parents expect it and we Chinese do what we can to please our parents. They approach English study with a “so-so” attitude and their English capabilities are “so-so.”

Tell us your story, what is your attitude towards the further study of English?

and

FOR THE STUDENTS

Book to be published July 2010

Foreword

It is my great honor to be invited to write this foreword for Dr Martin Wolff’s new book. To be honest, it is my first time to write a foreword [...]]]> OF THE STUDENTS, BY THE STUDENTS, 

and

FOR THE STUDENTS

Book to be published July 2010

Foreword

It is my great honor to be invited to write this foreword for Dr Martin Wolff’s new book. To be honest, it is my first time to write a foreword in English for a foreign teacher’s book though I have written some previously for books in Chinese. I accept the invitation because I admire Martin as one of my best foreign employees, career comrades, international colleagues and educational friends in the TEFL field in China.

Martin’s educational concepts, methods, attitudes, acts and contributions impressed me by my class observation, our casual chats, skimming his large number of teaching journals and the formal talks between us. His educational concepts such as “holistic development through English learning”, “Chinglish is better than deaf and dumb English”, “non-native English speakers talking to each other is like iron sharpens steel”, “acquiring English in the non-native English environment needs man-made English immersion”, “be brave, never be a coward in opening your mouth speaking English” and the like, agree with the updated foreign language educational beliefs and principles. Underneath the rationales, his teaching seems very “pushy” and often too hard to accept by the Chinese students at the beginning, mostly because they were used to instruction-based teaching and examination-driven learning for over 10 years of English classes. However, Martin pushed them into the “English swimming pool” to “survive” which made them feel “unsafe”. First of all, he made his classroom into a real English community in which only English is the unique communicative language. To some extent, to the Chinese-native adults who are non-English majors, it is scary and difficult because they lack confidence and competence in that community but loosing face every minute. Besides, he assigned a lot of after-class tasks requiring his students to read/send English emails to each other every day, go surfing on the internet in English, watch the specially selected English movies for culture studies, write movie comments and many other tasks, all in English. All these were regarded by many students as forcing added burden onto them.

From the educational point of view, Martin is successfully practicing many modern educational conceptions and methodologies such as student-centeredness, task/problem/project/action-based approaches, learning to speak by speaking and practice makes perfect, autonomous learning and learning by doing, just as Dewey’s theory about “school is society”. Martin’s teaching style is not by instruction in theory but by application in action. No matter how reluctant his students feel at the beginning, as a result of his efforts, many of them transform, change and shift from “paper-score men” to “real-world communicators” although the process is full of hardship or even culture shock resulting from misunderstanding. Some students gave up, some complained, some took the action and achieved in the end. It turned out to be a test, a real test to the Chinese students in many ways. It proved to be a challenge, a bi-folded challenge to both the teacher and the students. Martin himself enjoyed the process and, most reward of all, the students’ positive changes, visible and invisible.

As a faculty of College English instruction in China for over 30 years myself, as a TBEL (task-based English Learning) approach promoter and practitioner for over 10 years, and as an ELT researcher and teacher trainer, I really appreciate and highly praise Martin’s educational spirits and career ethics. I try to conclude them into“3 Ls”, “3 Es” and “3 Ds”, i.e. since he loves teaching, loves students and loves China; his teaching is enthusiastic, experienced and enjoyable out of his devoted, diligent and demanding efforts. Facts prove that his teaching provides his thousands of students with lifelong benefits in the multi-functional, multi-faceted, multi-effected holistic development journey. That is the destination target of higher education.

Read the book, you can find the practice, statistics, feedback and comments that record the great deeds. Read the writers, you can feel their soul and mind. The key is, get the message from it: what’s wrong with the TEFL for the Chinese students in their learning and what’s their potential? Get the hint from it: He can, they can, we can, and you can. Why not try!

With best wishes to a greater success in TEFL reform in China

XIA, Jimei (Angela)夏纪梅

                                            Professor of English education

                                            Dean of English Education Faculty

                                            Sun Yat-sen University中山大学

                                            China中国

                                            written on the Spring Festival (Year of Tiger), Feb 16, 2010 庚寅虎年初三康乐园

Sun Yat-sen University Press will publish a revised Holistic English Workbook in August 2010. Contact: Xiong Xiyuan, <xiyuanx@163.com>

The revised book will combine prior Books 1, 2, 3 and 4 into one volume of 32 chapters. This will allow students to continue with their autonomous learning [...]]]> HE WORKBOOK (See the MENU above for the Workbook content)

Sun Yat-sen University Press will publish a revised Holistic English Workbook in August 2010. Contact: Xiong Xiyuan, <xiyuanx@163.com>

The revised book will combine prior Books 1, 2, 3 and 4 into one volume of 32 chapters. This will allow students to continue with their autonomous learning after the school term(s) expire since only six to ten chapters can be properly utilized during a normal college semester.

One free set of movies will be provided with each bulk book order of one-hundred or more books, on a one time per school basis.

This Workbook is the only oral English acquisition teaching material designed specifically for Chinese college students and published in China to keep costs reasonable.

When I commenced teaching business in Wuhan, China in 2002, all the new foreign teachers were subjected to an orientation by the Wuhan Public Security Bureau. We were informed that we were precluded from discussing Taiwan, Tibet or Religion with Chinese people, in or out of our classrooms. Having great respect for the rule of [...]]]> Taiwan

When I commenced teaching business in Wuhan, China in 2002, all the new foreign teachers were subjected to an orientation by the Wuhan Public Security Bureau. We were informed that we were precluded from discussing Taiwan, Tibet or Religion with Chinese people, in or out of our classrooms. Having great respect for the rule of law, I have never violated this admonition and do not intend to do so here. The purpose of this post is to state my personal opinion and give others the opportunity to state theirs.

Throughout WW II (the second Sino-Japanese war) and China’s efforts to rid itself of the Japanese occupation; the USA lent aid to Chiang Kai-Shek’s democratic Nationalist Government for several reasons. First, Japan was also an enemy of the USA, having conducted a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Second, the US wanted to support the burgeoning democracy promised by Chiang Kai- Shck. Third, the US paranoia about and vehement prejudice against communism and its desire to help Chiang Kai-shek prevail in the long running civil war against the Chinese Communist Party

After the Japanese surrender in 1945, he attempted to eradicate the CCP, with continued support from the USA.. Ultimately, bolstered by support from Soviet Russia, the CCP defeated Chiang, forcing the Nationalist government to retreat to the Chinese island of Taiwan (Formosa).

The USA continued its hostility towards the CCP right up to the famous Nixon-Mao handshake in 1972. Subsequently the USA has had a policy of engaging communist China while maintaining its treaty to defend Taiwan. There were two primary reasons for engaging China. First, Nixon erroneously believed that this was in the best economic interests of US business in light of China’s hugh population base of potential consumers of US products. Second, the US believed that engagement would bring about eventual democratization of China. Over time, both have proved erroneous.

Although the US recognizes the One China policy and does not support Taiwan’s bid to be an independent sovereign nation, the US continues to sell “defensive” missiles, fighter jets and other instruments of war to Taiwan, an act that strains Sino-US relations.

The US claims to support the reunification of Taiwan and mainland China through peaceful means brought about by the Chinese people. However, US actions belie this claim.

In fact, the US does everything possible to encourage Taiwan to remain independent of mainland China and to resist reunification interests. The US claims it is supporting democracy on Taiwan but this claim is highly suspect. Taiwan is the most forward friendly military position in the Pacific that is closest to mainland China. A friendly Taiwan is the US hope for containing mainland China.

The Taiwan situation is of the US making. The US backed the wrong horse but refuses to admit its error, apologize and move on.

Let us put Taiwan into proper perspective. Taiwan (Formosa) has always been a part of sovereign China. It is a renegade province only because of US support and US missiles.

That is right; US missiles do exist on Taiwan.

Consider Cuba and the Russian missiles incident. Cuba has never been a part of the sovereign US. But when Russia supplied missiles to Cuba during the Kennedy administration, the US was ready to go to war if they were not removed. Why can’t the US see the parallels? China sees US missiles in Taiwan just as the US saw Russian missiles in Cuba. The distance between Cuba and the US is further than the distance between Taiwan and mainland China. US missiles in Taiwan pose a much greater threat to China than Russian missiles in Cuba posed to the USA.

Chinese Provinces are most similar to States in the US. There is absolutely no way any US State would be allowed to have the kind of relationship with a foreign sovereign that the Chinese Province of Taiwan has with the US.

Everything about the US policy toward Taiwan is offensive to China and rightfully so. The US inserted itself into the middle of China’s civil war, backing the losing side, and refuses to apologize and get out.

It is US military interests that fuel US-Taiwan policy far more than the so called preservation of democracy.

Democracy is not necessarily the savior of the world.

It was Communist China that prevented the complete financial meltdown of Asia in 1997 and again it was Communist China that precluded a global economic meltdown in 2009. China’s conservative currency policy and control acted as a buffer against the reckless uncontrolled currency policies of the west.  It was Communist China that saved the global economy from bankruptcy.

The US fights a war in Iraq and another in Afghanistan financed by US treasury bonds sold to China. The US 2009 economic recovery act is also financed by the sale of US Treasury bonds to China.

In the past 30 years the CCP has brought great educational benefits and economic prosperity to hundreds of millions of people. There is no western democracy that could have done so much for so many in such a short time. It is hypocritical for any country to criticize Communist China for its form of Government. No western form of democracy could effectively manage the lives of 1.3 billion people as the CCP has done. The US has not done nearly as much for its people.

It is time for the west to get over its fear and paranoia about communism, time to bury McCarthiesm once and for all, and recognize that Communism is here to stay and is entitled to equal respect right along side of democracy.

Having lived in China for the past 8 years, I recognize certain limitations on my personal freedoms that do not exist elsewhere. However, I fully recognize the need for these limitations either from a historical basis (religion) or current need basis (internet access).

The Chinese leadership has determined that the majority of Chinese people are simply not mature enough socially or educationally to properly handle certain freedoms. Having been witness to several public disturbances to the social order caused by the most basic of misunderstandings, I can fully appreciate the limitations on personal freedoms and have simply adapted.

I readily acknowledge that there are injustices in China, but name one country where there are no injustices.

In the west we say “Let a sleeping dog lie” or “Do not kick a sleeping dog.”  Nixon kicked the sleeping tiger. He should have known better.

In the west we also say “If you create a monster you must either feed it or kill it.” For those who view China as a monster, forget about killing it. China is to big to fail or to be killed.

The solution to the Taiwan issue is really very straightforward and simple. Recognize that it is an internal Chinese matter and get out the way of a Chinese resolution.