China and the U.S.
David Cole
David Cole
Global Sourcing Solutions
Sourcing automotive components in China
Need an office in China? Office suites, meeting rooms, virtual offices, network access
Need a cell phone for your trip to China?
Sourcing automotive components in China
Need an office in China? Office suites, meeting rooms, virtual offices, network access
Need a cell phone for your trip to China?
CHINA: "Integrating China into Your Global Supply Chain – Lessons Learned from..."
CHINA: "Integrating China into Your Global Supply Chain – Lessons Learned from Global Supply Chain Integrators". 15-page report by Booz Allen Hamilton.
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CHINA: "Integrating China into Your Global Supply Chain – Lessons Learned from Global Supply Chain Integrators". 15-page report by Booz Allen Hamilton.
proceed to download
eJournals
Reverse Culture Shock: China
Few transferees expect to experience culture shock when returning home and, in recent years, the experiences of returning Chinese who exemplify the phenomenon of reverse culture shock have attracted the attention of corporate mobility professionals. Jin writes of her personal experiences returning to China as she wrestles to overcome the dissonance between her Chinese heritage and Western experiences.
In recent years, “returning Chinese” have attracted growing attention from corporate mobility professionals overseas and in China. They are a special group of people who bridge the cultures of two Eastern and Western civilizations. They play a crucial role in the process of promoting trade and bilateral development between China and the rest of the world.
Returning Chinese all have different stories, depending on where they journeyed, what they did, and who they met. Reverse culture shock hits us all, though to varying degrees, and I am no different. I am a proudly returning Chinese and this is my story.
When I left Christchurch, my familiar “Garden City” in the beautiful South Island of New Zealand, my family’s expectations, great feelings of nostalgia, and the yearning for a new life back in my Motherland was as sweet as Manuka honey. I had completed the difficult task of studying and working for seven years in a foreign country, in a foreign language, and now it was time to reap the rewards of my efforts back in my home country.
It is a 20-hour flight from Christchurch to Dalian if you transit quickly at each of the two airports on the trip. Sitting for hours on the airplane, my mind was going a million miles an hour thinking about my experiences to come, and it was difficult to fall asleep. I felt strange as I recalled talking with other friends who had returned before me, and I could not understand why they were so discontented and maladjusted in their life as a returning Chinese. I had myself convinced—we are Chinese; we were born and grew up here. We are at home with Chinese culture and life. Of course, we will be used to living in China as a returning Chinese! However, I was absolutely wrong. It is not easy to adjust back culturally to life in China after seven years studying abroad.
When I returned to China, I wanted a fresh start in a city and to make my own way—I had become an independent girl in New Zealand and liked the idea of this new chance on life. I like living in a seaside city (The Christchurch girl in me coming out), so I make my jump-off point in Dalian—a very beautiful and romantic city. However, the different culture and life back in China flipped me over just like one of those white-crested waves in the sea at which I loved to stare. In reality, as a returning Chinese, I truly suffered maladjustment issues, similar to what expatriates find when they come to China—but I think mine were a lot more frustrating.
Social Etiquette
Most people think that it should be no problem for a returning Chinese to speak their native language when they return to their home countries. However, it does not always come so easy when you have been overseas for so many years, speaking a foreign language every day of your life.
It is a strange feeling that when you are talking to some local Chinese or watching some local television channels, it is hard to believe that at times, I found it easier to translate to English in my mind to follow the plot of the show.
It takes more time for me to understand what they are talking about, and my friends must have thought that I had become a little “slow in the head” during my overseas study because I was always being laughed at for getting the joke a few seconds later than everyone else. I also was starting to combine both Chinese and English when talking to people—even my parents.
My parents always feel very confused and they think I look like an Elaphurus davidianus (a type of extinct deer, famous in Imperial China). I am originally from Northeast China and, of course, before I went overseas my normal accent was of a standard Northeast Chinese. While overseas, people tend to speak Putonghua (standard Chinese) when they talk with other Chinese, simply because it makes communication easier—and most Chinese movies are, of course, in Putonghua, so I lost a lot of my regional accent.
I remembered that when I first went out shopping, and started bargaining the price, I would speak Mandarin automatically rather than the local accent. The seller, of course, sees the opportunity for an extra profit and offers me a much higher price because they think I am not local—that I must be from out of town.
On another occasion, I was intending to catch a jinrikisha (a kind of rickshaw) to get to the light rail, but could not remember a special world—“Bai er Di” in our local accent—and I spoke in Mandarin instead, so no one stops for me because they think I am asking for something else. I must have looked like an idiot—and I know I felt like one. At least I can laugh about it now.
Renting the House/Flat
The frequency of rental payment is different between China and New Zealand. I paid my rent weekly in New Zealand, because rents always are quoted by week. In Dalian, most of the landlords ask for one or two months’ rent as deposit and you have to pay three months’ or more rent even before you move in. Following that, you have to pay rent by the quarter. I really had not thought about it too much, as I lived at home before I moved overseas and I assumed the landlord was trying to rip me off—so I tried to negotiate with the landlord for paying by the week. The landlord looked at me like I was some kind of skeptic, and said, “I never heard that tenants can pay rent by week, how ridiculous!” After a period of time, I understood that we get our salary monthly and that is why we pay rent monthly.
Going Out
I hardly dared to cross the road for the first few days back in China. On busy roads, I was used to pressing the pedestrian crossing button and waiting for it to turn green so all the vehicles would stop. In Dalian, you do not see any traffic light buttons in the small crossroads. Two things had changed since I was in New Zealand—I had become accustomed to cars stopping for me, and China had a lot more cars now. It did not take me long to figure out that if you want to cross the road, you had better follow the crowd, otherwise you will have to wait for a long time.
Many people can drive independently abroad. In China, you had better get a driver’s license and be familiar with driving skills because otherwise you will have trouble with the complicated road conditions. I remember once I went out by taxi and the driver put his foot down because he wanted to save some time, because it was peak hours for returning home for the weekend. Although I was a little scared, I did not say anything and actually really admired his driving skill. He turned left and right, weaving in and out of traffic, crossed many obstacles, and finally drove me to the destination within only a few minutes.
Public Service Systems
After I came back to China, I always felt very crowded when I went out. China is one of the most populated countries in the world, and lopsided supply and demand may cause inconvenience in our daily life. We often have to queue up for a long time in local supermarkets, banks, and restaurants. I had to wait for about two hours to apply for a new SIM card for my mobile phone. You would think this a simple task, but first you have to queue up to select a phone number on the number selection machine (My friend kindly suggested that I should choose at least three numbers, because someone in front of me probably already has chosen my favorite one.). After that, I have to queue up again to apply for a new SIM card service and choose a suitable plan—requiring about as much patience as I could muster.
Queues really were hard to get used to. When you have been queued up for a long time, it is all an investment—you get out of line and you lose it all. But to stay is resigning yourself to mindless boredom in a line that moves slower than a snail on Sunday. This contradiction stays with me today, and I am not sure if I am really used to it yet, even though I realize that this is unlikely to change anytime soon, so I am the one that needs to adapt.
Reverse Culture Shock for Enterprise
Dalian is relatively close to Japan, and there are a lot of Chinese people in the city who have a background of working and studying in Japan, therefore, they get used to the Japanese working style. One of my friends who returned from New Zealand works in an American corporation whose managers come from Japanese company backgrounds. Therefore, they think that a good staff always should work late—at least as late as the boss. She did not agree with this when she started to work there; she thinks good staff members should fully use their working hours and complete their job efficiently. She also thinks that her working time and personal time should have a clear boundary.
But things change, and culture is a strong binder. After working there for a while, she got more opportunities to get closer to her manager when their team is working very late at the end of their financial period. The manager discussed the topic with all the staff, she changed her opinion, and started to feel that working overtime not only gains you financial compensation but also some degree of spiritual fulfillment.
If I have any words of wisdom for the millions of overseas Chinese out there who are thinking of coming home, it would be to take it step-by-step—understand that you will experience some degree of culture shock, and this is normal. Do not get frustrated—China has not changed, you have.
And last, but not least, make sure to be proactive, and psychologically prepare yourself with a good positive attitude. Most of all, be prepared to laugh at yourself—it is the best medicine!
Source: MOBILITY Magazine - GAI
backCHINAtalk January, 2010
Reverse Culture Shock: China
Few transferees expect to experience culture shock when returning home and, in recent years, the experiences of returning Chinese who exemplify the phenomenon of reverse culture shock have attracted the attention of corporate mobility professionals. Jin writes of her personal experiences returning to China as she wrestles to overcome the dissonance between her Chinese heritage and Western experiences.
In recent years, “returning Chinese” have attracted growing attention from corporate mobility professionals overseas and in China. They are a special group of people who bridge the cultures of two Eastern and Western civilizations. They play a crucial role in the process of promoting trade and bilateral development between China and the rest of the world.
Returning Chinese all have different stories, depending on where they journeyed, what they did, and who they met. Reverse culture shock hits us all, though to varying degrees, and I am no different. I am a proudly returning Chinese and this is my story.
When I left Christchurch, my familiar “Garden City” in the beautiful South Island of New Zealand, my family’s expectations, great feelings of nostalgia, and the yearning for a new life back in my Motherland was as sweet as Manuka honey. I had completed the difficult task of studying and working for seven years in a foreign country, in a foreign language, and now it was time to reap the rewards of my efforts back in my home country.
It is a 20-hour flight from Christchurch to Dalian if you transit quickly at each of the two airports on the trip. Sitting for hours on the airplane, my mind was going a million miles an hour thinking about my experiences to come, and it was difficult to fall asleep. I felt strange as I recalled talking with other friends who had returned before me, and I could not understand why they were so discontented and maladjusted in their life as a returning Chinese. I had myself convinced—we are Chinese; we were born and grew up here. We are at home with Chinese culture and life. Of course, we will be used to living in China as a returning Chinese! However, I was absolutely wrong. It is not easy to adjust back culturally to life in China after seven years studying abroad.
When I returned to China, I wanted a fresh start in a city and to make my own way—I had become an independent girl in New Zealand and liked the idea of this new chance on life. I like living in a seaside city (The Christchurch girl in me coming out), so I make my jump-off point in Dalian—a very beautiful and romantic city. However, the different culture and life back in China flipped me over just like one of those white-crested waves in the sea at which I loved to stare. In reality, as a returning Chinese, I truly suffered maladjustment issues, similar to what expatriates find when they come to China—but I think mine were a lot more frustrating.
Social Etiquette
Most people think that it should be no problem for a returning Chinese to speak their native language when they return to their home countries. However, it does not always come so easy when you have been overseas for so many years, speaking a foreign language every day of your life.
It is a strange feeling that when you are talking to some local Chinese or watching some local television channels, it is hard to believe that at times, I found it easier to translate to English in my mind to follow the plot of the show.
It takes more time for me to understand what they are talking about, and my friends must have thought that I had become a little “slow in the head” during my overseas study because I was always being laughed at for getting the joke a few seconds later than everyone else. I also was starting to combine both Chinese and English when talking to people—even my parents.
My parents always feel very confused and they think I look like an Elaphurus davidianus (a type of extinct deer, famous in Imperial China). I am originally from Northeast China and, of course, before I went overseas my normal accent was of a standard Northeast Chinese. While overseas, people tend to speak Putonghua (standard Chinese) when they talk with other Chinese, simply because it makes communication easier—and most Chinese movies are, of course, in Putonghua, so I lost a lot of my regional accent.
I remembered that when I first went out shopping, and started bargaining the price, I would speak Mandarin automatically rather than the local accent. The seller, of course, sees the opportunity for an extra profit and offers me a much higher price because they think I am not local—that I must be from out of town.
On another occasion, I was intending to catch a jinrikisha (a kind of rickshaw) to get to the light rail, but could not remember a special world—“Bai er Di” in our local accent—and I spoke in Mandarin instead, so no one stops for me because they think I am asking for something else. I must have looked like an idiot—and I know I felt like one. At least I can laugh about it now.
Renting the House/Flat
The frequency of rental payment is different between China and New Zealand. I paid my rent weekly in New Zealand, because rents always are quoted by week. In Dalian, most of the landlords ask for one or two months’ rent as deposit and you have to pay three months’ or more rent even before you move in. Following that, you have to pay rent by the quarter. I really had not thought about it too much, as I lived at home before I moved overseas and I assumed the landlord was trying to rip me off—so I tried to negotiate with the landlord for paying by the week. The landlord looked at me like I was some kind of skeptic, and said, “I never heard that tenants can pay rent by week, how ridiculous!” After a period of time, I understood that we get our salary monthly and that is why we pay rent monthly.
Going Out
I hardly dared to cross the road for the first few days back in China. On busy roads, I was used to pressing the pedestrian crossing button and waiting for it to turn green so all the vehicles would stop. In Dalian, you do not see any traffic light buttons in the small crossroads. Two things had changed since I was in New Zealand—I had become accustomed to cars stopping for me, and China had a lot more cars now. It did not take me long to figure out that if you want to cross the road, you had better follow the crowd, otherwise you will have to wait for a long time.
Many people can drive independently abroad. In China, you had better get a driver’s license and be familiar with driving skills because otherwise you will have trouble with the complicated road conditions. I remember once I went out by taxi and the driver put his foot down because he wanted to save some time, because it was peak hours for returning home for the weekend. Although I was a little scared, I did not say anything and actually really admired his driving skill. He turned left and right, weaving in and out of traffic, crossed many obstacles, and finally drove me to the destination within only a few minutes.
Public Service Systems
After I came back to China, I always felt very crowded when I went out. China is one of the most populated countries in the world, and lopsided supply and demand may cause inconvenience in our daily life. We often have to queue up for a long time in local supermarkets, banks, and restaurants. I had to wait for about two hours to apply for a new SIM card for my mobile phone. You would think this a simple task, but first you have to queue up to select a phone number on the number selection machine (My friend kindly suggested that I should choose at least three numbers, because someone in front of me probably already has chosen my favorite one.). After that, I have to queue up again to apply for a new SIM card service and choose a suitable plan—requiring about as much patience as I could muster.
Queues really were hard to get used to. When you have been queued up for a long time, it is all an investment—you get out of line and you lose it all. But to stay is resigning yourself to mindless boredom in a line that moves slower than a snail on Sunday. This contradiction stays with me today, and I am not sure if I am really used to it yet, even though I realize that this is unlikely to change anytime soon, so I am the one that needs to adapt.
Reverse Culture Shock for Enterprise
Dalian is relatively close to Japan, and there are a lot of Chinese people in the city who have a background of working and studying in Japan, therefore, they get used to the Japanese working style. One of my friends who returned from New Zealand works in an American corporation whose managers come from Japanese company backgrounds. Therefore, they think that a good staff always should work late—at least as late as the boss. She did not agree with this when she started to work there; she thinks good staff members should fully use their working hours and complete their job efficiently. She also thinks that her working time and personal time should have a clear boundary.
But things change, and culture is a strong binder. After working there for a while, she got more opportunities to get closer to her manager when their team is working very late at the end of their financial period. The manager discussed the topic with all the staff, she changed her opinion, and started to feel that working overtime not only gains you financial compensation but also some degree of spiritual fulfillment.
If I have any words of wisdom for the millions of overseas Chinese out there who are thinking of coming home, it would be to take it step-by-step—understand that you will experience some degree of culture shock, and this is normal. Do not get frustrated—China has not changed, you have.
And last, but not least, make sure to be proactive, and psychologically prepare yourself with a good positive attitude. Most of all, be prepared to laugh at yourself—it is the best medicine!
Source: MOBILITY Magazine - GAI
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Other articles from the same issue (January, 2010).
2010 China Auto Sales: Robust or Bust?
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China Employment Law Update
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2009 Global Transfer Pricing survey: China - survey findings
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Making Your Chinese Merger "Marriage" Work
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Reverse Culture Shock: China
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Foreign investment doubles in December
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China Rising
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New PE Development - Drop Shipments Taxed In Taiwan
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Shanghai First to Offer Social Net to Expatriates
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China ousts Germany as the world's top exporter
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China plays down "largest exporter" speculation
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China's Iron and Steel Industry amid the Financial Crisis
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Great business opportunities for German companies in western China
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Chinese outbound M&A flow remains resilient despite the financial crisis
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Changsha National Economic and Technical Development Zone Investment Environment Report
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A Green China or a Gray China?
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Hong Kong Companies to receive National Treatment under China’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Rules
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When Chinese Entrepreneurialism Meets Western Economics
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Before You Leap - China
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Record rural consumption fuels economic expansion
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Property prices continue to climb across country
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China names another 20 innovation bases to boost foreign trade
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