The beauty of cultural diversity!

As days turned into months and I got accustomed to basic communication skills, which gave me a better sense of comfort as I began having a number of Chinese friends. However, winter proved to be more extreme than I could ever have imagined. Northeast China is known to experience extreme temperatures that get as low as -30C, which sounded more like fiction before I actually experienced it. My fingers and nose can actually bear witness to the extremely low winter temperatures.

Having been in China for four years now, I am greatly amazed by the rate at which the country is developing. Within months, new structures emerge, bridges are constructed, and the transport infrastructure rises to new heights. A ride on the Shanghai maglev train gave me an experience worth remembering. Being the first commercial magnetic levitation train globally, I experienced speeds of up to 431km/h (268mph), a tangible evidence of the technological advancement of the transport system. Besides this, the skyscrapers within the city really impressed me and made me appreciate the beauty and development of the city. The modern buildings were a total contrast to my past belief that ancient Chinese architectural designs dominated the surroundings. Besides the major cities, smaller cities are also getting into the wave as there are new buildings mushrooming each day in almost every corner. Despite the beauty, I really hoped to see more of the Chinese architectural designs being incorporated into the new structures being constructed. This would give a unique sense of elegance and authenticity.

Before my experience in China, I would never have imagined the presence of Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, KFC, or Pizza hut. It provides the opportunity to indulge in western delicacies among the various types of Chinese food. It really interested me to find that these fast foods have really become a favorite especially among the younger generation of Chinese people. Moreover, it worries me a little to see how the so called post-90 generation embraces western culture while abandoning the rich and Chinese culture. I personally tend to admire the unique design of Chinese clothing.

Looking back at my experience so far, I’m really impressed by the fact that I can now make sense out of the Chinese characters that previously looked like complex artistic impressions. The language itself is both complex and interesting at the same time. My gradual grasp of the characters has showed me that every complex situation or object in life has an element of simplicity in it. It all depends on how much we put an effort in understanding the basics, which facilitate the breakdown of seemingly complex structures into simpler forms. I found out that this trick, which enhances the Chinese language learning process, is also applicable to complex life situations. A simple illustration of this is the relative ease in which we now eat rice with chopsticks, something that I once perceived to be a great task, yet simple once given a try.

My experience in China has indeed been an eye opener. I came to admire the hard work and discipline being exercised by the citizens. It has also given me the true feeling of globalization as I have come to meet different people from different countries, each with their own culture yet sharing the same purpose of self improvement and development. This has taught me that culture is gradually becoming insignificant as people put aside cultural differences and co-exist in harmony. China, which is a country of great cultural diversity, is home to numerous attractions and is gradually rising as an influential actor in the international setting. I have come to appreciate cultural diversity and realize that different cultures can indeed co-exist through appreciating the beauty of diversity. The thoughts and attitudes we nurture in our mind determine the quality of life’s experiences that come our way!

Kigen is a Ph.D candidate at the Institute of International Studies (IIS), Jilin University, in Changchun. Besides pursuing his major in International Relations, he also focuses his attention on learning the Chinese language due to his keen interest. He believes that the ties between China and Kenya are getting significantly close and cooperation is evident in many sectors such as the media, infrastructure, as well as in international affairs.