Author Archives: Kirby Anne Perosa

Visiting a High School in Dalian

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One of the highlights of this program for me was visiting the high school in Dalian. It was huge and consisted of several buildings including a cafeteria, a gymnasium, and three dorm buildings. The students stay there Monday through Saturday, because they have classes all day on the weekdays and in the mornings on Saturdays. It reminded me of a small college campus. We were each assigned a Chinese student to show us around and answer any questions we might have. The student who showed me around gave me a pack of postcards as a welcome gift. She was very excited to show me around and she even had many questions of her own. One thing that slightly surprised me was their interest in American boys. They asked me if I had a boyfriend and told me that they were not allowed to date until after they pass their exams to get into university in July. This control is not something completely unexpected in China, but it was still surprising to see it in action. In retrospect their interest in boys should not have surprised me, because after all they are teenage girls. This visit was a wake up call that left me with the realization that these Chinese students are just like me. Their environment and culture may be slightly different, but in the end they want the same things.

Changan Ford

When we toured Changan Frod in Chongqing, it was unlike anything I have ever seen before. They have an extremely efficient assembly line consisting of men working eleven hours six days a week.  These men are called operators and each one has an extremely specialized job they have to do in a given amount of time. As the cars move by, each operator performs one task such as putting on a wheel or installing a headlight. They are provided with exactly what they need to perform this task and nothing more. To learn how to be on the line is a four part process. First the operators must learn how to perform a given task from a book. Then they do it slowly with the supervision of a group leader. Next they go full speed on the line and lastly they can teach others. The plant focuses on minimizing cost and waste while maximizing production and this was obvious after visiting the plant. The plant was extremely clean and everything ran very smoothly. There were cars and car doors moving all over the plant. It reminded me of the doors in the movie Monster’s Inc.

Over the past five years, Changan ford has experienced enormous growth. It has increased in rank from 14 five years ago to currently being 6. They have also increased the number of plants they have from one to seven. When they originally opened, they were only producing the Ford focus and they now produce a variety of cars. The cars have been reengineered to fit what the Chinese population wants versus what the American population wants. The Taurus has been adjusted to be specifically for business men. In China, business mean are often chauffered around and so the back was made to be more luxorious, because that is where they spend most of their time. The backseats lean back and there are controls for air and heat in the back. Also, the edge has been made larger for extended families and business men who want more room for family members and golf clubs respectively.  75% of families that buy cars in China are buying them for the first time and there isn’t really a second hand market for cars because they are kept in the family. The Chinese prefer softer and flashier cars to “show face”. Overall, visiting the plant was one of the highlights of this course because it was unlike anything I have ever seen before.

The Great Wall: Expectations Versus Reality

Expectations:

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I know that I must have seen pictures of the Great Wall of China in history class, but the image that really stuck out in my mind before visiting the Great Wall was the intro scene of Mulan. I know that Disney is not a reliable source for learning historical facts; however, with Mulan being one of my favorite childhood movies it provided the basis for how I pictured the great wall. Like the picture above, I pictured one giant wall at least 10 meters high. I did not picture any steps on the actual wall; instead I thought there would be rolling hills. I also thought the wall would be continuous and not broken up. I was sorely mistaken.

 

Reality:

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In reality the wall was only 1 to 3 meters off the ground and it was continuous steps. The Great Wall of China actually consists almost entirely of steps and has very few flat parts. It was also broken up into several parts.  After climbing these numerous steps to reach the top of the portion of the wall we were on, I will never again picture the wall as flat. Despite the difficult climb, the view from the top was worth it and I now have a very accurate mental picture of what the Great Wall of China looks like.

The Picture Taking Phenomena

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I was warned before arriving in China that people would take pictures of me at random times because I was white; however, I couldn’t actually imagine this happening and so I did not take this warning seriously. In the United States it would be considered rude to take a picture of a bunch of foreigners touring, but that does not apply here at all. I first noticed this cultural difference when we took a group picture in the Forbidden City. I was smiling at the photographer, when I suddenly noticed several Chinese people also happily capturing our group photo. After that I noticed that when our group was standing around there were often a few people clicking photos of us. At first this struck me as kind of odd: Why do they want a picture of me? What are they going to do with it? But after a little I began to embrace feeling like a celebrity and started to smile back at the curious photographers. For the most part they love this and continue to snap a few extra pictures. Sometimes a person will specifically ask me for a picture with them. I like when this happens because they are always really nice and thankful. While visiting the terra cotta soldiers, a lady stopped me and held a phone out to me. It had translated Chinese that said, “You take picture with us?” I agreed and soon I was taking pictures with several different people. I probably took about five pictures before I could continue on my way.  I appreciate the attention, but when I go back to the States it will be nice to not worry if people are taking a picture of me or of the famous building behind me.

The Challenge of Chopsticks

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In the United States, whenever I would get Chinese food I would first try to use the chopsticks and then promptly give up and use a good old reliable fork. Now being in China, I do not have a fork to fall back on when I find myself unable to transport food the short distance between the table and my mouth using only two sticks. At dinner the first night, I began to learn how to properly use chopsticks. Since then I have had several lessons and I have learned that you can hold chopsticks many different ways to get the job done; however I have also realized that the process of mastering chopsticks can be a slow and hungry process.   As the food spins by on the lazy Susan, I often find myself spending a few minutes just to pick up one small piece of food. Each time I successfully pick up a piece of food, I feel like I have won a small victory in the bigger battle of learning the art of chopsticks. Some people who have already mastered chopsticks find it amusing to watch me struggle. The girl who showed my around the high school in Dalian found my struggle with chopsticks quite entertaining. Every time I would successfully pick up a piece of food, she would cheer me on with a “very good!” or a “you’re getting better!” At one point I was struggling with picking up my rice so much that she handed me a soupspoon and told me to use that instead.   I persevered, however, and somehow managed to eat the rest of my rice without the help of a spoon. I cannot wait for the day that I too have mastered the art of chopsticks and can show off my new skill to my friends at home.