Chinese acclimate to life on campus

CULTURE

October 12, 2009 —

When Tao Zhong attended his first class at SVSU, he was surprised he could understand much of the lecture. But English was just the first challenge.

“I felt like a paratrooper,” says Zhong, a master of business administration student. “I was sent here, I landed on the ground and I was in a totally isolated place. The only thing I had was curiosity.”

Zhong is not alone in his culture shock. In the last few years, SVSU has greeted increasing numbers of Chinese students; this year, it has 155. They make up over a third of the international student population and the largest nationality here for study.

Their presence brings a touch of the East to the campus and the classroom, their way of thinking a complement to the traditions of Western culture.

New to the American Classroom

Yang Liu, a Chinese instructor, has served as the Chinese international student adviser for the Office of International Programs the past year. She provides guidance on a variety of Chinese international student concerns, including culture and American educational conventions.

Liu stays in contact with all Chinese students during their first semesters at SVSU. Most take English language courses before moving on to core subjects. She asks how they are and how classes are going.

Liu, who has taught at universities in both China and America, offers her experience to SVSU students and faculty.

“In China, we have different [levels of] respect for different authorities,” Liu says. In China, for example, students always must address teachers using formal titles.

The teaching style there also is more formal. There is no syllabus, and there are no office hours, Liu says. Courses are primarily lectures; students take notes and sometimes participate in formal discussions. Then, students always stay after to clean the blackboard and the classroom for the teacher.

Tang says that in China, everyone cares about how others look at them. “We value modesty more than ambition. Chinese people tend to be a little bit more indirect or implicit.” She says they tend not to look into others’ eyes, especially those of their superiors, including professors and bosses. It’s considered offensive.

Chinese courses also treat group work quite differently. Liu says students there usually meet and work together on projects, while American classmates usually divide the task and correspond via e-mail before compiling the project in person.

Liu facilitates a discussion between her international students and faculty on the conventions of American academia and what they can expect.

“In American classes, students are very active and passionate. They are willing to ask questions and [pose] arguments to their professors,” Zhong said. “In China, the classroom is a very quiet place.”

Xiaocao Zhou, a masters of education student in the English Language Program, says she likes to study here.

“The classroom is more free, more open,” she said. “The teacher can be your friend.”

Education junior Chunchun Tang says she enjoys the attitude.

“Here, professors feel like it is their fault if the lecture didn’t make sense,” Tang said. “And students will ask many questions until they get it. In China, it is the opposite. If you ask questions, first, the class will think you’re dumb. Second, the teacher will think you didn’t listen very carefully or that you’re being disrespectful. That is one of the biggest changes I adjusted to. Now, I ask lots of questions.”

Holidays

The most difficult times for Chinese international students, adviser Liu said, are the holidays and festivals.

Chinese culture is intensely familyoriented. “When big festivals are approaching, I feel homesick a lot,” Zhong said. For many students, the experience here is often their first time living in another country and on their own.

One holiday, the Spring Festival, known by many as the Chinese New Year, is the country’s largest celebration. It usually falls at the end of January or the start of February.

“[It]’s like Christmas and New Year’s combined,” Liu said.

Most businesses in China shut down up to two weeks as families reunite for the nationwide celebration. Together, they set off fireworks, make dumplings and stay awake to see the beginning of the new year.

Liu says that attendance at the event is growing, prompting event planners to accommodate even more students for the 2010 celebration.

“It’s a way for us to make our Chinese students feel at home, at least a little bit.”

People in the U.S. seldom hear about China’s holidays and festivals, says education junior Chunchun Tang. She became a resident assistant in Pine Grove and recently celebrated the Mid- Autumn Festival with over 60 other Chinese residents. She also invited other friends to come learn about their culture.

“If I didn’t take the step forward, many people would not have known,” she said. “Saturday was Homecoming — that’s all they know.”

A blending of culture

Tang says she often gets questions from classmates about her culture.

“They ask me a lot about the food,” she said. “And also sometimes they will ask about things they learned in history class back in high school. They ask about the Communist Party and foot-binding in ancient China. They were just curious, and they wanted to confirm with me.”

But academic adviser Liu says the more important thing to talk about is not the differences, but the ways the two cultures can combine to make each side aware of the other.

“And then as a whole, we learn from each other,” she said. “If we only focus on [differences, we] never make progress.”

In Liu’s experience, Chinese students usually form a cohesive group rather than integrating with other groups, making it difficult for them to learn more about American culture. The English Language Program coordinates “conversation pods” — which partner international students with native speakers and offer more opportunities to make cross-cultural connections.

“They are right here,” she said. “I encourage all the students to go abroad, but you can learn about other cultures right on your campus.”

Liu says that cultural learning during college can prepare students for a global workplace where bosses and coworkers may come from other cultures.

Zhou recommends that American students get to know their Chinese classmates by cooking with them or working out or shopping together.

Tang says that even people in her country are opening up more.

“There was a time when China shut the door to the outside world. And they think that China can sustain itself. Now the truth is we need to cooperate with each other. [Exchange students] will bring something fresh and new to China, and that is how we will change.”