Dear family and friends,
Greetings once again from Hong Kong . Though the last four weeks in this massive city have gone by in a flash, it has been an unforgettable experience. The past few weeks have been jam-packed with cultural and educational experiences.
Last week we attended a conference on globalization hosted by Chinese University Hong Kong in partnership with Washington University in St. Louis. We were able to choose from a variety of presentations of academic papers on Chinese culture, economics, education, religion, cinema, and many others. All of these topics were then related back to globalization in China . We also had the opportunity to hear a keynote address from a Nobel laureate Douglass North, who presented a new conceptual framework about violence and social order, which is the subject of a forthcoming book written by him and two of his colleagues. The theory posits that open economic competition limits violence within societies as people can express their aggressive tendencies in economic terms without oppressing people. He calls societies that maintain this delicate balance open access societies, and he identifies the United States among them.
One of the most interesting presentations of the day was from Andy Kipnis, a professor from Australian National University who analyzed Chinese education at the primary level. He described an educational experience quite unlike what we are accustomed to in the United States. The education system in China emphasizes conformity through aggressive adherence to standards, models, memorization and recitation. Individuality is not encouraged. The curriculum is universal throughout China, and the material is extremely nationalistic and politically biased. Of twenty five random chapters of a Chinese social studies textbook, six were about Communist Party leaders, and five were what the lecturer described as soft nationalism. Chinese leaders recognize the necessity of more diverse thought, which the current curriculum and teaching methodology does not encourage, so there has been a growing movement toward teaching students to be more creative. People have criticized this, however, because they do not believe that the methods used in Chinese schools can foster creativity. How is it possible to have someone memorize how to be creative or to think outside of the box? Learning about these educational differences will likely help us understand these foreign cultural values and the extreme emphasis on decorum that characterizes Hong Kong and Chinese society.
This past week we had the privilege of attending a Chinese Calligraphy demonstration put on for us by CUHK's Fine Arts department. We spent an unforgettable afternoon watching a professional calligrapher at work. We were shown six different scripts, each one unique and beautiful. It is amazing to think that these scripts have been around for thousands of years. He employed the three thousand year old Oracle Bone Script, the oldest form of the Chinese written language still known and used in art today. He also exhibited how his skills as a calligrapher enhance his ability to paint as he used the same strokes to paint some bamboo and flowers on traditional silk paper with plain black ink. We were absolutely mesmerized as his simple, fast strokes produced these gorgeous images in a matter of minutes.
Last weekend, some of us traveled across the bay to Macau, a former Portuguese colony, to see the famous colonial Portuguese architecture and have some adventures. It was quite the trek, but it was well worth it. The narrow streets and interesting mix of colonial buildings and brand-new casinos provided some bizarre imagery. It was particularly interesting to experience the colonial influence hearing a city of ethnically Chinese people speaking Portuguese. It was a powerful reminder of the British colonial influence in Hong Kong and why people seem to speak English everywhere we go. These days Macau is known for its interesting blend of Portuguese and Chinese foods, the Vegas-like casinos, and the iconic 700-foot Macau Tower. Those of us that went got a little taste of another new culture, as well as some cool new stamps in our passports.
Another recent highlight was a Chinese tea-drinking lecture and demonstration that took place at the Lockcha Tea Shop in Hong Kong Park downtown. The tea house is owned by a CUHK alum who told us about is the culture of tea in China and let us try four different kinds of tea. He also demonstrated the proper way to brew “Kung Foo” tea. Kung Foo, as we learned, has three different meanings: hard work, a long time, and special talent and technique. It was easy to see why this kind of tea brewing was given this name, as the tea master demonstrated the elaborate process involving exact water temperature, timing, and tea washing. When asked why someone would go through this time-consuming process, he explained to us how tea-making and drinking in Chinese society is a way to take a break, to chat with friends, and take one's mind off daily stressors.
These days many of us could use more time to drink tea, as the end of our stay in Hong Kong is only days away. After spending this past week going to class, cultural demonstrations, writing two papers and taking our final test, we have our final weekend in the city free to do some last-minute sightseeing and hiking as we say goodbye to the place we have called home for the last month. Now that we've mastered the metro system, found the best sandwich shops on campus, and decorated our apartments for Christmas, it's time to pack up and move on. We leave tomorrow for Mainland China, where we will be touring for the next twelve days. Our communication will be greatly reduced during this time, but rest assured we are thinking of you during this holiday season.
Merry Christmas!
