It seems as if the entire world is protesting these days. From the Middle East to China, riots are making the headlines. Here in China, the streets are flooded by anti-Japanese protesters, angry over some long disputed islands in the East China Sea. The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has been the site of major protests, while innocent, Chinese owners of Japanese products have had their property destroyed. Japanese cars have been turned over and lit on fire, and bystanders with Japanese-made cameras have had their electronics snatched and smashed. Shenzhen has been the site of some violent protests, which got so out of hand yesterday that the police were forced to use tear gas to disperse the mob. These rowdy youths were congregated just a single metro stop away from me. You can see some of the insanity here.
The anti-Japanese sentiment is not merely due to the controversy over island ownership. Apparently, the Chinese have harbored a long hatred of the Japanese, following their brutal invasion and occupation of China in the 1930s and 40s. When I was teaching in Beijing, I got to hear all about this from my students, who were all too willing to parrot nationalistic propaganda. When I asked them what they would do if they had 50 million USD, I had more than a few students write that they would buy Japan, because they "hate the Japanese." This is something I have a hard time understanding, given the fact that these painful events took place long before the time of these students or even their parents. Move on.
It's a bit unnerving to see such massive protests taking place here; they could easily shift from merely anti-Japanese to indiscriminately xenophobic. With anti-American protests taking place across the globe in the past week, it certainly gives one pause. China has also seen a huge rise in xenophobia in the past year as more and more foreigners migrate here for better employment opportunities. With the Chinese economy slowing down, nationalism seems to be increasing. This has also been the case in Europe over the past decade, stoking tensions between local populations and foreigners, especially Muslims. If the situation in Europe shows us anything, I believe we may see heightened tensions not only between the Chinese and Japanese, but also between the Chinese and their domestic foreign populations.
In other news, I've gotten my passport back - complete with Chinese Residence Permit - and I am finally able to leave the country! I'm extremely glad this was such a quick process, as I have already made travel plans for the National Holiday, a week of vacation days to celebrate the birth of the People's Republic of China. I'll be going to Boracay and Puerto Princesa in the Philippines with Dave and some other friends from CTLC! SO excited to get to travel around Asia a bit more (and get a new stamp in my passport!).
I had the chance to test out my new and improved passport this weekend when I popped across the border to Hong Kong. The visa we have (a "Z" visa) is incredible. This is a multiple entry visa (very rare in the expat community, from what I can tell), which means I can go to Hong Kong every weekend if I want to. Hong Kong may be one of my favorite cities in the world - or maybe it just felt really good to get out of China. It's enormous: big crowds and huge skyscrapers. There are a ton of fellow foreigners, so I don't feel so out of place. The shopping...don't even get me started. Anything you could ever want and more. The culinary landscape looks extremely promising as well; I passed by a burger joint that offered free-range, organic beef. Lots of English speakers (for obvious reasons), and lots of foreign products that seem impossible to find in China. Also, I feel much safer there as a consumer (I don't believe they spray their lettuce with formaldehyde, among other things).
As far as teaching goes... I basically have a countdown going on (270 days). It is really nothing like I'd expected. It's not unpleasant (generally), but between the students and the teachers, it is exhausting. There's one English teacher in particular that is really getting on my nerves, trying to dictate my lesson plans. Unfortunately, I'm teaching 15 classes a week with an enormous variety of English levels that I have to cater to. I'm not going to sit down and write a whole other lesson just for your two classes. Not gonna happen. Not sorry about it either. It's people like her that make me long for the language barrier that I enjoy with so many others here in Shenzhen.
Missing family, friends, and home so much this week! Especially missing autumn weather; it's still in the 90s here with wretchedly high humidity. I'd give anything to be enjoying the changing leaves at Furman University and sipping on a Pumpkin Spice Latte! Living vicariously through all of you who are feeling a chill in the air and already wearing boots.
(P.S. I taught all of my students how to say "Howdy." Texan pride is alive and well in China.)
The anti-Japanese sentiment is not merely due to the controversy over island ownership. Apparently, the Chinese have harbored a long hatred of the Japanese, following their brutal invasion and occupation of China in the 1930s and 40s. When I was teaching in Beijing, I got to hear all about this from my students, who were all too willing to parrot nationalistic propaganda. When I asked them what they would do if they had 50 million USD, I had more than a few students write that they would buy Japan, because they "hate the Japanese." This is something I have a hard time understanding, given the fact that these painful events took place long before the time of these students or even their parents. Move on.
It's a bit unnerving to see such massive protests taking place here; they could easily shift from merely anti-Japanese to indiscriminately xenophobic. With anti-American protests taking place across the globe in the past week, it certainly gives one pause. China has also seen a huge rise in xenophobia in the past year as more and more foreigners migrate here for better employment opportunities. With the Chinese economy slowing down, nationalism seems to be increasing. This has also been the case in Europe over the past decade, stoking tensions between local populations and foreigners, especially Muslims. If the situation in Europe shows us anything, I believe we may see heightened tensions not only between the Chinese and Japanese, but also between the Chinese and their domestic foreign populations.
In other news, I've gotten my passport back - complete with Chinese Residence Permit - and I am finally able to leave the country! I'm extremely glad this was such a quick process, as I have already made travel plans for the National Holiday, a week of vacation days to celebrate the birth of the People's Republic of China. I'll be going to Boracay and Puerto Princesa in the Philippines with Dave and some other friends from CTLC! SO excited to get to travel around Asia a bit more (and get a new stamp in my passport!).
I had the chance to test out my new and improved passport this weekend when I popped across the border to Hong Kong. The visa we have (a "Z" visa) is incredible. This is a multiple entry visa (very rare in the expat community, from what I can tell), which means I can go to Hong Kong every weekend if I want to. Hong Kong may be one of my favorite cities in the world - or maybe it just felt really good to get out of China. It's enormous: big crowds and huge skyscrapers. There are a ton of fellow foreigners, so I don't feel so out of place. The shopping...don't even get me started. Anything you could ever want and more. The culinary landscape looks extremely promising as well; I passed by a burger joint that offered free-range, organic beef. Lots of English speakers (for obvious reasons), and lots of foreign products that seem impossible to find in China. Also, I feel much safer there as a consumer (I don't believe they spray their lettuce with formaldehyde, among other things).
As far as teaching goes... I basically have a countdown going on (270 days). It is really nothing like I'd expected. It's not unpleasant (generally), but between the students and the teachers, it is exhausting. There's one English teacher in particular that is really getting on my nerves, trying to dictate my lesson plans. Unfortunately, I'm teaching 15 classes a week with an enormous variety of English levels that I have to cater to. I'm not going to sit down and write a whole other lesson just for your two classes. Not gonna happen. Not sorry about it either. It's people like her that make me long for the language barrier that I enjoy with so many others here in Shenzhen.
Missing family, friends, and home so much this week! Especially missing autumn weather; it's still in the 90s here with wretchedly high humidity. I'd give anything to be enjoying the changing leaves at Furman University and sipping on a Pumpkin Spice Latte! Living vicariously through all of you who are feeling a chill in the air and already wearing boots.
(P.S. I taught all of my students how to say "Howdy." Texan pride is alive and well in China.)
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