An American Kid's Perspective of Beijing
I love China in terms of cultural richness. China is absolutely incredible. Let’s start with food. The variety of food here in China is unimaginably vast. This is a welcome adjustment from the same and boring foods in America: burgers, fries, and pizzas. Furthermore, the Chinese ancient landmarks and artifacts are wondrous. I enjoy nothing more than climbing the expanse of the Great Wall or setting foot on the same marble floors as emperors did in the Forbidden City.The way Chinese culture is “set up” fosters a sense of communal living that I greatly appreciate. Back in America, people are predominantly individualistic. However, in China, families are held in the highest regard. An interesting difference I noticed in my visit to China was the way senior citizens behaved. Senior citizens in China are very active, participating in numerous activities. In the morning I see them practicing Tai Ji, or taking a morning walk. In America, many of these senior citizens would be at home or in a nursing home, watching TV.
Another funny thing I’ve noticed is the attitudes towards skin color. In America, it is popular to be “tan”. At every beach in the United States, you can bet money that there will be people tanning in the sun, trying to get some color into their skin. It is practically the complete opposite in China. I found it strange that there were girls carrying umbrellas outside when it wasn’t raining. After consulting my grandma, I realized that in China, white, uncolored skin was considered pure and beautiful. There are many people running lucrative businesses selling skin whitening products.
Coming to China, I have learned many things. However, the most important lesson I have learned is that there is never an end to learning.
中华文化方式促进集体的社区生活，我很欣赏这种文化。再说美国，大部分人倾向以个人为主。而在中国，得到最高崇拜的不是个人而是家庭。在我走访中国时，我还注意到一个有趣的差异，这就是老年人的生活方式。在中国，老人十分活跃，参加很多的活动。早上我看到他们练太极，或做一些其它的晨练。在美国，这些老人很可能都会呆在家里或在养老院里看电视。
在中国另一个有趣的发现是对肤色的态度。在美国，流行的是“棕黑色”。在美国的海滩，我可以打赌，有很多人会在阳光下晒黑自己的皮肤。在中国则恰恰相反。我看到许多女孩儿打着雨伞走路，可当时没有下雨呀。我觉得奇怪，问问我的奶奶，才知道，在中国，白色的皮肤被认为最美丽。这就是为什么会有这么多销售皮肤美白产品赚钱的行业。
来到中国，我学到了许多东西。然而，学到的最重要的一课是, 学无止境。 in China, white, uncolored skin was considered pure and beautiful. White people want to be tanned while Chinese ladies want to have white skin. My American friend joked that many American ladies spend much moneygetting tanned in the sunny beach while Chinese women try to get whitened with expensive cosmetics. In reality ,anything has two aspects,just as a coin has two side.Nobody knows why. But I think American pursue the health,while Chinese only put emphasis on the beauty ,which is obvious to us.
回 3楼(i623) 的帖子
You are quite right. Every coin has two sides. A jewel is dear to a lady but it is nothing to a hen which treats a grain as an expensive jewel.
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