Overseas Chinese students
Overseas Chinese students
By Kenji Asahara
Whether or not to go back to China after studying abroad has always been a most hyped issue among the overseas Chinese students. These people are entertaining themselves with a derisory idea that they are the invaluable gifts for China and its people, believing that with their absence, China shall sustain a huge loss. Despite the fact that, most of them, because of their limited expertise which is mostly confined in technical fields, could not contribute much to the development of Chinese society. Current China, as matter of fact, being world’s most populous nation due to its irresponsible breeding habit, has no shortage of technical personnel, but is in a desperate need of visionary and experienced leaders in all fields, from business to politics and education. Clearly, most overseas Chinese have no distinctive advantage comparing to the local educated ones if they are competing for those technical positions. On the other hand, most of them could not bring in the crucial cultural vital force to the morally decaying Chinese society. After all, most Chinese overseas students, bearing the burden of making a living and pursuing of material goals, enjoy no luxury of digesting and appreciating the greatness and strength of the Western culture. Despite their long overseas experiences, according to my observation, most of them are not interested or knowledgeable in the valuable elements of Western culture that could be helpful to Chinese modernization. They are overwhelmingly fascinated with the material prosperity that Western society could offer but care less of the cause of this prosperity and the mechanism of how modern society should govern itself.
“How much do I worth” or “you owe me” is the typical mentality commonly existed among overseas Chinese students. This mentality can only be explained as a symptom of lacking of decency and self respect. Most Chinese have never been able to learn the meaning of a decent and respectful life. Like many people mentioned before, average Chinese haven’t yet be able to live a productive life for the best interest of the individual and the society. Subconsciously, Chinese view their life as a show put up to gain recognition from others. By so doing, one can satisfy the petty desire of “saving one’s face”. Face saving is an essential ingredient of the Chinese psyche, and it has become the insurmountable obstacle prevent the Chinese from learning the truth and living a meaningful life. This condemnable habit gives the birth to a character of callousness and selfishness which is the major cause for China’s backwardness. Chinese usually lack the courage to pursue what they believe is the right thing to do. First, they may not have the ability to sift right from wrong because of their greed occupied minds, and secondly, even they are capable of doing so, they lack of courage to put the truth into practice. Undeniably, Chinese culture endowed itself with abundant bookish and romantic wisdom and moral teaching, yet when it comes to practice it has always been meager. Despite the high pitched voice of moral devotion, Chinese are eagerly succumbed to the seduction of tragic reality. For example, most international marriages between Westerners and the Chinese women are mostly economic oriented. It is hard to imagine with their inadequate and clumsy English, most Chinese women could even have a decent communication with their foreign lovers.
Chinese constantly forget the fact that the society needs them as much as they need the society. No one owes you anything; you are not entitled with any prestige or respect unless you earn them with your hard effort. Chinese are used to having thing for cheap and free; they always dream of magic or good fortune because they do not want to spend any effort. They want to have everything for nothing. Few Chinese understand the fact that, prestige and achievement go hand in hand with hard work and sacrifice; you can’t have one without the other. To put it simple, to make a living, one has to take, to make a life, one has to give.
Growing up in a poor environment and lacking of proper education, most Chinese are not acquainted with good manner and basic human courtesy. Most of them like to present themselves in rather awkward attire without showing any embarrassment. What they have been taught through out their juvenile life is how to lie and take from others but not to share with others what you have. Whether you go back to China or not is absolutely an individual issue. In fact, no one really cares.
We must admit that China has always been a nation of abundance. As the result of an unrestrained birth policy, China is an unlimited source of cheap labor supply. This supply also includes the educated labor which, despite its education level, bears no fundamental difference from the average Chinese coolies.
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I dont really agree with his point of view, but some of them is worthy to be considered, after all, it is the view from forgigners who has much clearer views sometimes than chinese ourselves.
posted by Dylan @ 10:43 AM
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