Chinese Nationals
Chinese nationals are different from us. Singaporeans recognise that many are frightfully intelligent and hardworking. They pick up English very quickly and they go on to win prizes in our schools and universities. They are good businessmen, and are driven and "hungry".
But we also rank them as the worst tourists. Common complaints: they speak loudly, litter, jostle and do not respect queues. (Also true of Singaporeans 30 years ago.) The growing number of Chinese "students" entertaining in karaoke bars, and "Study Mothers" working in massage parlours breeds distrust amongst Singaporean wives. To them, Chinese women are only interested in silly Singaporean men with lots of CPF money.
I personally found the Chinese people I met in China pleasant. The young people especially were filled with dreams, with feelings for family and friends, and most importantly with an eye for good fun. Their young dress up, they skateboard, and they laugh a lot.
But I did turn to a good Taiwanese friend who has spent four years in Beijing for his thoughts. While there were always nice people around, he told me that the single thing he found lacking in Chinese people was their sense of morals and values. The overwhelming motivation of an average Chinese person was to get ahead by making more money. While this was good in the economic sense, without morals and values, this brought all the negative things that were damaging China today: corruption, the lack of intellectual property protection [the Chinese will imitate anything - Chanel handbags, drugs, milk powder, even eggs] and that loyalty and trust were unknown qualities. "Loyal" staff will leave you for $10 more to work for your competitor.
But we also rank them as the worst tourists. Common complaints: they speak loudly, litter, jostle and do not respect queues. (Also true of Singaporeans 30 years ago.) The growing number of Chinese "students" entertaining in karaoke bars, and "Study Mothers" working in massage parlours breeds distrust amongst Singaporean wives. To them, Chinese women are only interested in silly Singaporean men with lots of CPF money.
I personally found the Chinese people I met in China pleasant. The young people especially were filled with dreams, with feelings for family and friends, and most importantly with an eye for good fun. Their young dress up, they skateboard, and they laugh a lot.
But I did turn to a good Taiwanese friend who has spent four years in Beijing for his thoughts. While there were always nice people around, he told me that the single thing he found lacking in Chinese people was their sense of morals and values. The overwhelming motivation of an average Chinese person was to get ahead by making more money. While this was good in the economic sense, without morals and values, this brought all the negative things that were damaging China today: corruption, the lack of intellectual property protection [the Chinese will imitate anything - Chanel handbags, drugs, milk powder, even eggs] and that loyalty and trust were unknown qualities. "Loyal" staff will leave you for $10 more to work for your competitor.
He was quick to attribute this to recent China's history. Communism had removed religion as a means to build up a strong moral base in the people. Confucianism was swept away in Mao's Cultural Revolution. This severed their links with traditional values. Without both, the Chinese young are today left with one God. Money.
In an uncanny admission of this, Hu Jin Tao, the President recently called on the ruling Communist Party to rid itself of "money worship and hedonism", in a bid to stamp out corruption.
posted by BT at 4:20 AM
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