Week 8: Notes From a Company Cafeteria

During the many lunches I’ve had with co-workers, one of the recurring topics of discussion is a cultural exchange between how things are in the states and how things are in China. Through these chats, I’ve gained a better understanding of not just how things are in China, but a possible explanation of why they are the way they are. (Disclaimer: I’ve been reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, which may have influenced the blog content this week. However, none of this is all that well researched, and more speculation than actual research.)
Some of the topics we talk about are fairly simple. For example, Chinese people eat much less meat, drink less milk and eat no cheese in their diet, which is why most Chinese kids are shorter than their ABC counterparts. The breakdown that follows however, struck me as a minor revelation.

My initial prompt: When you think about it, China has the history, manpower, and early advanced civilization that should allow them to be a global power. Not just an emerging one that is making huge strides in recent years, but one that should have been duking it out with the Soviet Union and the United States decades ago. The Chinese are known for their four original inventions: paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing, so how come today China can’t make an automobile that can compete on the global market?

My co-worker’s response: In short, Chinese culture is too conservative (loosely translated). Throughout history, they spend too much time stuck in one era while other civilizations moved on. A feudal China remained intact for much too long, which eventually led to the Communist takeover which further set back industrial growth. Whenever China latches on to something, it seems like they don’t want to let go. They grow comfortable and prefer not to change things up.

For example, buddhism, which originated in India, but is no longer the main religion of India... still the most prominent religion in China. Socialism, which originated with the Soviet Union, but is no longer in power... China steadfastly refuses to abandon it. An alphabet system, which pretty much every other symbol-using language has adopted (Japanese, Korean, and going way back, Egyptians)... China still largely has no alphabet.

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Call it loyalty, or preserving tradition, but in the long run, it has set China back. Compare this to the founders of the United States, who not only had the courage to rebel against their former countrymen but boldly establish a new form of government, and it’s a stark contrast. Of course, how China and America are now operating in the 21st century and how things will look going into the future is a whole ‘nother topic for another day.

Obviously, this is an overly simplifed synopsis, and there are plenty of alternate explanations, missing pieces and huge loopholes, but it’s an example of what I get to ponder about out here. Hopefully I’ll return to the states with a broader understanding of things that expand beyond the Socal bubble.

Note: Happy 150th post, Proverbial Putts! Special thanks to those who have been here all along.