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“Let the world know China and Let China know the world.” I can’t remember exactly where I have seen this slogan in Beijing and what the context has been. Given the simple fact of the ardor people have for learning foreign languages and the number of people going abroad each year, everyone can tell how hard China and Chinese people are trying to know the world considering. But I didn’t know how equally important and urgent it is for the world to know China until I came to the States.
First let me give you an idea of how little China is known to the Americans with some of the questions I was asked by the GRADUATE students at the department of communication at Purdue University.
“Where is Beijing? Is it a coastal city?”
“Why do you carry on the one-child family policy? Don’t you know it is a crime?”
“(I hope you don’t mind my asking this question, Tan) Do Chinese people still live in poverty and oppression?”
“Is it true that anybody who practices religion will be prosecuted in China?”
The list of surprises I was given by my fellow American graduate students can go on and on，but let me turn to give you some examples of the surprise we gave to them.
In the self-introduction during our first class in a Ph.D course, when I told them I wanted to finish the degree as soon as I could and then go back to China, The American students looked at me in both surprise and disbelief. Their assumption is that everybody including the Chinese of course, who comes to the States will stay here to seek a better life and that this is the only place where one can find a better life.
When I asked my officemate for advice about buying a new car, she stared at me, asking me incredibly: “A new car?” Later I found out that her surprise was due to the popular image of Chinese students: either too poor or too economical.
When an American TA asked me what I told my undergraduate students about my feeling of September11 Attack, I repeated my answer:“I’m very sad and angry. I’m sad because I know what it feels like to lose somebody you love, I have just lost my father-in-law; I’m angry because I know what it feels like when your motherland is attacked. Our Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia was bombed in 1999 by the NATO, that was an attack no different from one against my motherland. ” She shook her head in shock and disbelief. I knew what she was thinking: how dare you, a Chinese TA voice such strong opinion especially one which might incur antagonism among your American students? She is just like other Americans who are so used to Chinese student’s being silent or reserved.
When we Chinese students for the first time joined the monthly performance hour of the department and sang some traditional songs and preceded each song with a brief humorous introduction, all the faculty and students present were astonished. To them, Chinese students are so serious, shy or even withdrawing. These traits have been partly responsible for the consequence that Chinese students are sometimes invisible.
I’m aware that I can’t simply use these examples from my own experience to argue for the ignorance of China among the Americans and their bias against Chinese people. But if you consider that the fact that they are either Ph.D or MA students of communication, how more optimistic can you be about the general Americans’ understanding China and their image of Chinese people?
So “let the world know China” should no longer remain an empty slogan. It is something we all should do, home and abroad, and something we should do with confidence and openness.
“让中国了解世界，让世界了解中国。” 我已记不清在北京的什么地方见过这个标语，也记不清它的背景。仅从中国人学习外语的热情以及每年出国的人数，谁都知道中国及中国人是如何努力地想了解世界。但直到来到美国，我才知道让世界了解中国同样是多么重要及紧迫。
首先，让我来列举几个普度大学交流学系的研究生问我的一些问题让你们了解一下美国人对中国所知之少。
“北京在哪里？ 它是个海滨城市吗？”
“你们为什么还要实行只生一个孩子的计划生育政策？难道你们不知道那是犯罪吗？”
“(我希望你不介意我问你这个问题，谭)中国人是不是仍然生活在贫困和压迫下？”
“信宗教的人在中国都会遭到起诉，这是真的吗？”
我的美国同学带给我的诧异还可以不断地列举下去,但现在让我来列举一些我们带给他们的诧异。
在我们一门博士生课的第一堂课的自我介绍中，当我告诉他们说我想尽快读完学位，然后回到中国，美国学生都奇怪而且难以置信地看着我。他们认为任何一个来到美国的人，当然也包括中国人，都会努力在这儿留下来，寻找更好的生活，而且认为美国是唯一能找到更好生活的地方。
当我向我的同办公室的人寻求购买新车的意见时，她盯着我，难以置信地问我：“新车？”后来我才发现她的吃惊是因为中国学生的普遍形象都是要么太穷，要么太节俭。
当一个美国临时助教问我怎么对我的本科学生谈我对911攻击的感受时，我重复了一下我的回答：“我感到既悲哀又愤怒。我感到悲哀因为我知道失去所爱的感受。我的公公刚刚去世。我感到愤怒因为我知道自己的祖国遭受攻击的感受。1999年北约轰炸了我们中国在南斯拉夫的使馆，那无异与对我的祖国的攻击。”她感到震惊，无法置信地摇了摇头。我知道她在想什么。你一个中国临时助教怎么敢发表如此强烈的意见，尤其是可能引起美国学生反感的意见？她和许多美国人一样，习惯了中国学生的沉默或矜持。
当我们几个学生第一次参加系里一个月一次的表演，演唱一些中国的传统歌曲，并在演唱之前做一番颇为幽默的简介时，在场的师生都震动了。对他们来说，中国学生都太严肃，害羞甚至回避别人。这些特点在某种程度上造成的后果是中国学生有时候在别人眼里根本不存在。
我知道我不能仅凭我个人经历的一些例子来论证美国人对中国的缺乏了解及对中国人的偏见。但如果你考虑到他们都是交流学专业的博士或硕士生，那你对普通美国人们对中国的了解及中国人的形象又能有多乐观呢？
所以“让世界了解中国”不应该再停留在一句空洞的口号上。 它是我们每一个在国内或国外的中国人都应该做的一件事，而且是应该充满自信和开明去做的一件事。
First let me give you an idea of how little China is known to the Americans with some of the questions I was asked by the GRADUATE students at the department of communication at Purdue University.
“Where is Beijing? Is it a coastal city?”
“Why do you carry on the one-child family policy? Don’t you know it is a crime?”
“(I hope you don’t mind my asking this question, Tan) Do Chinese people still live in poverty and oppression?”
“Is it true that anybody who practices religion will be prosecuted in China?”
The list of surprises I was given by my fellow American graduate students can go on and on，but let me turn to give you some examples of the surprise we gave to them.
In the self-introduction during our first class in a Ph.D course, when I told them I wanted to finish the degree as soon as I could and then go back to China, The American students looked at me in both surprise and disbelief. Their assumption is that everybody including the Chinese of course, who comes to the States will stay here to seek a better life and that this is the only place where one can find a better life.
When I asked my officemate for advice about buying a new car, she stared at me, asking me incredibly: “A new car?” Later I found out that her surprise was due to the popular image of Chinese students: either too poor or too economical.
When an American TA asked me what I told my undergraduate students about my feeling of September11 Attack, I repeated my answer:“I’m very sad and angry. I’m sad because I know what it feels like to lose somebody you love, I have just lost my father-in-law; I’m angry because I know what it feels like when your motherland is attacked. Our Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia was bombed in 1999 by the NATO, that was an attack no different from one against my motherland. ” She shook her head in shock and disbelief. I knew what she was thinking: how dare you, a Chinese TA voice such strong opinion especially one which might incur antagonism among your American students? She is just like other Americans who are so used to Chinese student’s being silent or reserved.
When we Chinese students for the first time joined the monthly performance hour of the department and sang some traditional songs and preceded each song with a brief humorous introduction, all the faculty and students present were astonished. To them, Chinese students are so serious, shy or even withdrawing. These traits have been partly responsible for the consequence that Chinese students are sometimes invisible.
I’m aware that I can’t simply use these examples from my own experience to argue for the ignorance of China among the Americans and their bias against Chinese people. But if you consider that the fact that they are either Ph.D or MA students of communication, how more optimistic can you be about the general Americans’ understanding China and their image of Chinese people?
So “let the world know China” should no longer remain an empty slogan. It is something we all should do, home and abroad, and something we should do with confidence and openness.
“让中国了解世界，让世界了解中国。” 我已记不清在北京的什么地方见过这个标语，也记不清它的背景。仅从中国人学习外语的热情以及每年出国的人数，谁都知道中国及中国人是如何努力地想了解世界。但直到来到美国，我才知道让世界了解中国同样是多么重要及紧迫。
首先，让我来列举几个普度大学交流学系的研究生问我的一些问题让你们了解一下美国人对中国所知之少。
“北京在哪里？ 它是个海滨城市吗？”
“你们为什么还要实行只生一个孩子的计划生育政策？难道你们不知道那是犯罪吗？”
“(我希望你不介意我问你这个问题，谭)中国人是不是仍然生活在贫困和压迫下？”
“信宗教的人在中国都会遭到起诉，这是真的吗？”
我的美国同学带给我的诧异还可以不断地列举下去,但现在让我来列举一些我们带给他们的诧异。
在我们一门博士生课的第一堂课的自我介绍中，当我告诉他们说我想尽快读完学位，然后回到中国，美国学生都奇怪而且难以置信地看着我。他们认为任何一个来到美国的人，当然也包括中国人，都会努力在这儿留下来，寻找更好的生活，而且认为美国是唯一能找到更好生活的地方。
当我向我的同办公室的人寻求购买新车的意见时，她盯着我，难以置信地问我：“新车？”后来我才发现她的吃惊是因为中国学生的普遍形象都是要么太穷，要么太节俭。
当一个美国临时助教问我怎么对我的本科学生谈我对911攻击的感受时，我重复了一下我的回答：“我感到既悲哀又愤怒。我感到悲哀因为我知道失去所爱的感受。我的公公刚刚去世。我感到愤怒因为我知道自己的祖国遭受攻击的感受。1999年北约轰炸了我们中国在南斯拉夫的使馆，那无异与对我的祖国的攻击。”她感到震惊，无法置信地摇了摇头。我知道她在想什么。你一个中国临时助教怎么敢发表如此强烈的意见，尤其是可能引起美国学生反感的意见？她和许多美国人一样，习惯了中国学生的沉默或矜持。
当我们几个学生第一次参加系里一个月一次的表演，演唱一些中国的传统歌曲，并在演唱之前做一番颇为幽默的简介时，在场的师生都震动了。对他们来说，中国学生都太严肃，害羞甚至回避别人。这些特点在某种程度上造成的后果是中国学生有时候在别人眼里根本不存在。
我知道我不能仅凭我个人经历的一些例子来论证美国人对中国的缺乏了解及对中国人的偏见。但如果你考虑到他们都是交流学专业的博士或硕士生，那你对普通美国人们对中国的了解及中国人的形象又能有多乐观呢？
所以“让世界了解中国”不应该再停留在一句空洞的口号上。 它是我们每一个在国内或国外的中国人都应该做的一件事，而且是应该充满自信和开明去做的一件事。