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White privilege is a real, and saddening, phenomenon in many developing countries where people of Caucasian descent are treated in a different way than those of other descent. In China, this is clearly seen in all matters of daily life. Even in Shanghai, a city with a huge international presence, people of different races are treated differently, as well as different from Chinese locals. Sadly, foreigners in China still operate as if fixed within a tier system. Yet that system is not organized by country of origin, it is strictly constructed through color of skin. Those with white skin are treated with best, making up the most privileged tier. Those with darker skin, such as Latinos or African Americans, are given a second tier status. Lastly, Chinese locals are disrespectfully placed in the third tier.

In China, white preference is clearly showcased in beauty standards. Unlike in the US, in China skin color is not a sensitive topic, instead it is a bluntly discussed topic. Chinese people try hard to keep their skin as pale and white as possible, because in China whiter skin is a symbol of high status. Chinese people will carry around special umbrellas to keep the sun from darkening their skin, put on skin whitening creams, and wear long pants and shirts in the heat of the summer to protect their skin. Aside from skin, people in China also believe that Western eyes are the epitome of beauty, and many will get plastic surgery to change their appearance to be more similar to that of Westerners. For example, in China the most common plastic surgery is a surgery to pull back your eyelids, making the eyes bigger and rounder. Chinese women are naturally beautiful, and it is upsetting to me to walk around and see all the fake eyelids on the streets.

...continue reading "White Privilege in China"

Shanghai is a very international city, and therefore I have the exciting opportunity to interact with people from all over the world. As well as interacting with Chinese people every day, the international community in Shanghai makes it very easy for us “foreigners” to meet and share experiences. On one hand, these interactions have mainly been positive. On the other hand, I have gotten many mixed reactions to my being American. Most Mexicans I have met here have come off very offensive until I told them I didn’t vote for Trump. A lot of Europeans just shake their heads when they hear I am from the United States and proceed to emphasize their intellectual and moral superiority.

Chinese people have a broad spectrum of views on Americans. Government propaganda, over the years, has worked to highlight the worst of US life, which sadly now they have a lot of material to work with. For example, Trump’s whirlwind election and subsequent first 100 days in China are widely broadcasted in China, whereas Obama’s wasn’t. In addition, news of racial prejudice and violence against minorities is also present in China, to the point where I even had a Chinese person tell me he hated African Americans because he wanted to be welcoming and thought I did too because I was American. Some other weird conceptions of Americans include: we work out too much. Our staple food is McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Every person is in a fraternity. We think we are the best in the world.

Chinese people are also fascinated by some of the knowledge we have about China. When I was in Beijing last summer, my teacher was shocked to find out we had any idea that the Tiananmen Protests occurred. Many Chinese are also stupefied to learn that I am really interested in learning their language. Most younger people in China have had more exposure to the international world and are less surprised by the things that Americans do. A lot of them use VPNs, have very liberal values, and easily laugh and mingle among foreigners.

...continue reading "How China sees US"

By juliareinholdgw

This weekend I went on one of the most challenging excursions of my life – hiking through Wuyuan, China’s mountainous rural landscape. Me and two other classmates hiked 50 miles over the course of 2 days in one of China’s most beautiful areas, got lost over 100 times, and even accidentally ended up climbing a mountain into a different province than what Wuyuan was in. It was an amazing, yet tiring, experience, and taught me a lot – not only about how far I could push myself, but also about Chinese rural life.

...continue reading "Trekking Through Rural China"

By juliareinholdgw

Shanghai, like many Chinese cities, is known for its skyscraper forests and busy downtowns. In the United States, we usually think that a city is composed of the downtown area and suburbs. China does not have what we would usually consider “suburbs”. As China underwent its rapid developmental race, people rushed to live downtown in the big cities. Huge apartment buildings were constructed to hold the increasing population of the east coast. Yet in this rush to put up some of the tallest buildings in the world, Chinese cities never developed a gradual transition from city to rural area. The “suburb” is not a concept in China the way it is in the US.

...continue reading "Suburbs of Shanghai"

By juliareinholdgw

Midterm season is upon me, and my hunt for the perfect café is on. Luckily, Shanghai seems to have been influenced heavily by its French colonizers, and has a bustling café culture. There are cafés everywhere, not just downtown in the European Quarters. Interestingly, a lot of these cafes try to mimic European style cafes, with croissants and cheesecake.

But, instead of like other “Western” restaurants that try to serve Italian or French food, the baked goods in the cafés are absolutely delicious. Shanghai has absolutely amazing cheesecake, it’s light and fluffier than the cheesecake found in the States. However, all of these cafes have a great Chinese twist, they sell intricate teas that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. A big trend in China now is fruit teas, teas that are made from a mix of dried fruit and flowers. They are served in clear pots, and are not only sweet and wonderful tasting, but also look fascinating.

Because midterms at Fudan University are a lot like finals at GW (where everything is in one week), I have recently spent a lot of time in cafés. Here are a few of my favorite:

Pain Chaud. Pain Chaud is interesting because it’s part of a restaurant complex that includes a bar and an Italian restaurant. Despite the fact that was created specifically to target international students at Fudan, the café has really great croissants. It’s also located in the middle of a street that I would call “old China”, where trash, peddlars, dust and crumbling buildings dominate. So, this café is an interesting mix, but close to my apartment and a good place to work with good pastry and free lemon water.

...continue reading "Shanghai’s Cafe Culture"

By juliareinholdgw

This week I went to one of China’s most famous and beautiful tourist attractions, the ancient water village of Zhouzhuang. This water village, also known as the “Venice of the East”, is an quiet, small, ancient village built atop a lake inlet outside Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu province. In my opinion, the name “Venice of the East” is a bit of a misnomer because the only thing that ZhouZhuang has in common with the large European city is its canal structure. Unlike Venice, with its multiple story tall buildings, ZhouZhuang portrays a serene, almost pastoral-like paradise. The villages’ canals and houses are shadowed by weeping willows, and the air is filled with smells of roasting pork sprinkled with mouth-watering spices. Although ZhouZhuang is kind of built up like a tourist trap, it is not crowded, and the day we went was beautiful and sunny so the overpriced food and yelling hagglers put no damper or stress on our visit.

Getting to ZhouZhuang itself was neither hectic nor troublesome, we simply took a tourist bus from Shanghai there and back. The route was only 2 hours and passed through what can only be described as “Chinese suburbs”. When people think of China, they normally think of the giant, busy cities and ancient architecture, but are not familiar with what may lie in between. On our way to ZhouZhuang, we passed by multiple story houses clumped together, rice fields, busy downtown areas with flea markets, a few apartment buildings, and many factories. In order to reduce pollution in its large cities, the Chinese government has been working to move factories outside of its sprawling metropolitan areas like Shanghai and Beijing. As the weather was beautiful and the trees green, it was surprising to drive by civil defense manufacturing factories on our way to the ancient water villages.

...continue reading "The Floating Village"

By juliareinholdgw

This weekend I visited one of China’s most beautiful sights, Huangshan (or Yellow Mountain). Yellow Mountain is the most sacred mountain in China because, according to legend, it is where the Yellow Emperor, the ancestor of the Han people who are now the majority in China, ascended into heaven. Since then, it has held a special place in the heart of china and is both heavily visited and well maintained by the millions who visit it ever year.

Huangshan is in Anhui province, a beautiful rural area that is 5 1/5 hours by bullet train from Shanghai. The train ride over passed through lush forests, beautiful green rice terraces, and sleepy towns. I love taking the bullet train because it gives a spectacular view of China outside the famous metropolises the country is famous for. We pass by burial tombs, farmers, and small villages that really highlight how a large portion of the country has lived for hundreds of years, and still lives.

...continue reading "Yellow Mountain"

By juliareinholdgw

This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to visit one of China’s most beautiful cities, Suzhou. Suzhou is like a giant, more metropolized water town. Nestled among the cities large buildings are beautiful canals with old ancient buildings and serene stone bridges.

One of the sites that we saw while in Suzhou was the Lingering Garden. The Lingering Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a classical Chinese garden.

...continue reading "SuZhou, A Heavenly Paradise"

By juliareinholdgw

The Chinese school system is entirely different from the US school system. From a very young age, Chinese students are put in a competitive and stressful academic environment both at home and in school. In contrast, American kids are taught about sharing, creativity, and given a fun, playful environment during their earliest school years.

The Chinese teaching method is all about memorization. This method is ancient, stemming all the way back from the teachings of Laozi, a Confucian-Daoist scholar. Ancient China’s entire political and educational system revolved around memorizing Confucian Teachings. Although today Chinese students still learn through memorization, they learn all different subjects like Chinese, Math, Science, History, and English.

...continue reading "The Life of a Chinese College Student vs. Life of an American College Student"

By juliareinholdgw

This past week, two of my friends came to Shanghai for GW’s spring break, and I had an absolutely marvelous time introducing them to my new home.

We went to a number of cool places, some of them typical touristy destinations, and some pretty atypical places. One interesting pace that we ended up at was SongJiang mosque, a Sunni Muslim mosque 20 miles outside downtown Shanghai. The mosque was one of the most beautiful places I have been in Shanghai, it was secluded and full of beautiful gardens. The mosque itself included all characteristics of a Muslim mosque, however its architecture reflects the Ming Dynasty, the period when it was built, around 1391. A mix of Chinese and Arabic writing decorated the prayer halls, graves, and signs, which to me was an interesting combination to see as the Middle East does not have a big cultural influence in Shanghai. Islam in China is a really interesting topic.

It is not a very common religion for Chinese on the East Coast to practice and is more popular in the Northwestern provinces, especially Xinjiang. The existence of 2 of China’s minority Muslim groups, the Hui and the Uyghurs, are sometimes seen as a threat to the government in Beijing because of their inclinations for independence. Although clashes between these groups and the government are not publicized, they can get violent and lead to the shutdown and blackout of certain areas. Seeing this rather secluded mosque in a very secular area of Shanghai was fascinating, and made me wonder about all the challenges the Muslims living in Songjiang have faced over the years.

...continue reading "Friends in Shanghai"