Thousands of miles from China, Building a bridge across cultures - Shamantha Yan

Being in one province of China is not adequate for one to say that they have seen China. This is one nation that captures the essence of heterogeneity within homogeneity. Every province shows different aspects of China, the historical, sociological, political, cultural, geographical etc. It is hard to embrace the grandeur of China in one visit because there is simply too much to see, to know and be a part of. This trip is of no exception but the span of two weeks enabled understanding to trickle bi-directionally between Singaporeans and the Chinese, igniting sparks of friendship (both internationally and intra-nationally) that can only strengthen with time. Here begins the magical feeling of connection, the appreciation of a different culture, and history.

With this trip, I must say that I’ve begun to appreciate and treasure the beauty of the Chinese language even more than before. I think the way the language has been used has given it a very soothing and melodious touch, such that it always sounds so polite. It’s really refreshing and fascinating to listen to the conversations of the Chinese! Some phrases in hanyu pin yin includes “Xin ku ni le”, a phrase that is used to show one’s appreciation for the hard work of another; “zhe4 bu4 hao3 ban4”, a phrase that is used when they want to let you know that something cannot be done, and even the simple “hao de, wo zhi dao le”, a phrase to inform you that one understands what has to be done. It’s also interesting to note the differences in the way Singaporeans end their questions as compared to some of the Chinese (I’m not sure if I can generalize this). An example of how Singaporeans may ask a question is “You want this hor” versus “Ni yao zhe ge shi ba”. That aside, there are so many different accents in China and it really takes time to get used to it. The profoundness of the language is something else and it is indeed a good time for us to be reconnected to our roots and a reminder to some of us that there is certainly plenty of room for improvement in our command of the Chinese language.

The Chinese has such a rich history and culture that it is certainly not hard to see why they are so proud of their nation. Such pride can only truly be understood if you are there to see it for yourself. And this is also coupled with the rapid changes that are taking place in China. From an outsider perspective, it’s really remarkable to witness how fast things change in so short a period of time. Then again, Singapore has also a very short history… Well, that aside, our Chinese friends are really warm and make really good hosts. It almost feels like they’d go all out to help you in anything and in anyway that is within their limits. They took time out to plan and anticipate where we would like to go, to bring us to the local places to try the local food, to care for the well-being of every student; it’s amazing. Is this what guanxi is all about?