Understanding China...

Today was our first full day in Shanghai and now that the day is winding down, I think we are all anxiously awaiting a good night’s sleep… But first a recap of today:

I spent the morning doing some administrative things, i.e. exchanging money and buying bottled water. This, of course, was after a breakfast that offered a melange of things such as cold french fries, a variation of scrambled eggs, sausage wrapped in dough, and an assortment of other foods. I opted for toast and a bite of the sausage.

In the afternoon, we had a group excursion to SORSA, which stands for the Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association (basically, people who have studied abroad), where we were able to talk with and interview some Shanghai professors and business people.  They each had different insights into many of our story topics as well as their ideas about China. Some interesting facts I learned:

-  China constitutes 22% of the world’s population, but has only 7% of the world’s farmland.

- Farmers still make up a large majority of the Chinese population—almost 60%.

One of the speakers said something that got me thinking about our trip and Western views of China. He commented that all of our stories are interesting topics about China but he emphasized that we should not judge from an American point of view. He also said that the United States is lucky, luxurious, and wealthy and that China does not have the ability to live the same way, particularly due to population restraints. This struck me because I think some of us came into the trip with a premature idea of what China is. Americans easily judge Chinese policies but maybe these judgments and preconceptions are too harsh. For example, we think its cruel to have the one child policy and it is difficult for us to believe that it is a necessary policy for cities with enormous populations. But If the Chinese don’t regulate population in some way, how could they support their citizens? His comments made me think that I came in with a mold that I was making China fit, instead of allowing China to mold itself.  Even though it will be impossible to completely separate myself from my American point of view, I want to try to see China from the Chinese perspective.

My first test will be tomorrow when I head out to track down migrant workers with my translator, Sophie. Fortunately, there is a construction site (where migrant workers are usually employed) right next to our hotel (see picture) so I will be camped out there tomorrow morning trying to stalk workers and understanding the CHINESE view of migrant workers. Keep you posted on the successes of my stalking tomorrow evening.