Beijing, China:
China has become a part of American everyday life, but most of us do not know too much about the Chinese life and culture. It has been my opportunity to travel in China for the past 6 years. Every trip I gain new insights into this country and the Chinese people. In many ways they are much like the people in our country. I find them to be very family oriented, hard-working, and modest in their dress.
For most people the Chinese way of life is a big surprise. Even though their government is a communist government their economy is based on capitalism and entrepreneurship. They are the biggest producers for household goods in the world. Items are produced here and shipped to countries around the world. When you buy something in the store I would say 8 times out of 10 it was produced in China.
On one of my earlier trips I was invited to visit a factory that produced cords that connected computers. It was owned by a man in Springville. Most of the employees were women between the age of 20 and 30. I would say for every 10 woman there were 3 men. China has a big work force. They have 1.3 billion people. For every person in America there are 5 people in China.
Here are some of things that I have observed on my many trips.
Families are a key part of society: The people here are very tied to their families. In the years past, as many as 5 generations have lived together in the same home. On this trip I rented a room from a Tibetan family. I ate breakfast and dinner with them. It was so interesting to see 4 generations all living together. Everyone seemed to be involved in each other’s lives. I saw the grandpa often holding the young children and caring for them. In China it is the way for the grandparents to take a major role in raising the children.
In one family I ate with a little girl who cried for her 82-year-old grandma to go to bed with her. They said that the moms and dads need their sleep to work. Grandparents raised many of my friends. It seems so different for us but the Chinese that is the way that it is done. Women retire at 50 to 55, and men from 55 to 60, and then they are free to take care of the grandchildren. As I go about I see more children with grandma and grandpa than I do with their mother and father.
Education is very important in the life of Chinese: All Chinese children have free education from kindergarten through the 9th grade. There is a lot of pressure for Chinese students to do well in school. The higher education that is possible for them is based on the scores they receive on the tests that are given in school. The better the test score, the better education you will be able to get.
Good and healthy foods are at the center of their lives: There is much more variety of food in China than anywhere I have traveled. The country is just a little smaller than the USA but the variety of food varies with the region of the country. In the north there is a lot of wheat grown and they eat a lot of noodles made from wheat. In the south, rice is the main staple and they have some form of rice with every meal. They even make noodles out of rice and call them rice noodles. When I have been in the south a main staple they have almost every day is a bowl of rice noodles with a little meat and lot of vegetables. Vegetables are at the center of every meal. They must have more than 10 different kinds of greens. When my Chinese friends came to America they often complained to me that the American diet did not have enough vegetables. Soup is a dish that is served at every meal. When I ask them why they say that it is good to fill up on soup, as it will not make you fat.
China is a culture with 55 minorities and a country that has one main language which is Mandarin but hundreds of dialects. China is the oldest culture on earth going back over 5,000 years. In summary China is a country rich in culture and varied in history.
Want to Travel to China: If you are interested in going to China and would like to be in one of Dian’s groups email her at [email protected]” or call her at 801 277 4332.
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