Chinese Visitors Learn American Culture
Two guests from Nanjing, China, shared Chinese culture and customs with Bluefield College students and faculty as part of the spring 2019 exchange program with Jiangsu Second Normal University.
Dr. JingYu Liang, whose American name is Amy, and the student Yang Yuxin, whose American name is Karida, arrived in Virginia on January 31, 2019, after a two-day delay by a snow storm. They spent nearly a month on the BC campus before returning to Nanjing on February 25, 2019. During their stay, they taught students and faculty about hot pot culture, Chinese holidays, and Kung Fu.
Amy teaches English reading and writing and is currently researching cognitive linguistics. She took a variety of classes at BC, including criminal justice, English, psychology, and speech courses. She said that she loved the psychology course and said, “I like the way of teaching…and the atmosphere” of American classrooms. She believes that experiencing many different teaching methods and subjects will give her ideas to use in her own teaching in China. Both Amy and Karida agreed that the students in America are not shy in the classrooms and do not hesitate to ask questions.
Karida, studying English teaching, also enjoyed the different styles of classes in America, particularly how small and personal the classroom relationships feel. She said, “I love it! The people are very sweet and nice,” and that the small classes make it easier to speak to professors and understand the content of the classes. She also took a number of English and communications courses.
“I really like [Introduction to Speech] because of the speech competition that I participated in [in China],” Karida stated, “and I like the grammar class because of my major.”
Dr. Rob Merritt, chair of the Department of English, is the professor of that grammar class. He traveled to China through the exchange program with Jiangsu.
“They’re a great role model to the other students, I think,” Dr. Merritt said. “It’s just interesting for me because grammar is a challenge for many native speakers, and this is their second language, and they know so much… It’s really pretty amazing.”
“I know from experience that it is helpful to broaden your horizons and learn how other people see things. I am always amazed by the different ways people view the world.”
Noel Saunders, Sophomore, English Literature
Dr. Merritt also took the Chinese visitors to the annual Honey Festival in Richlands, VA, where he gave a poetry reading with the aid of both Amy and Karida. He read a few poems that referred to China, and he asked them to read part of his work, stating, “I think it was pretty interesting for the people that were there.”
While America is what she expected it to be, Karida said the trip to Bluefield gave her “new perspectives” on culture and the way things work in the United States. She said she is very excited to go on a tour of Washington, D.C., which she and Amy will do after leaving BC, because it will be different from Bluefield.
Amy, on the other hand, said that America was not what she expected. She said that the trip was strange at first, but was “interesting,” and the people are friendly. She particularly enjoyed the family atmosphere that Bluefield has, saying that people in China are often busy, and it was nice to see families playing games and talking together. She believes that the culture is very different, though she came to enjoy the dishes in the cafeteria and Wednesday chapel services, “especially the songs.”
On Chinese New Year’s Eve, February 4, Dr. Maria Zalduondo, BC’s director of the Global Education Program, found a hot pot to help the guests feel right at home. Dr. Cynthia Bascom, chair of the Departments of Communication and Graphic Communication, joined the gathering and shared her thoughts on the importance of hot pot culture. Dr. Bascom will be traveling to China for a month in May with BC student Noel Saunders, a sophomore studying English Literature, and BC alumna Breanna Buterakos, who now works as a writing tutor in the Bluefield College Academic Center for Excellence (ACE).
Dr. Zalduondo also took the students to the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, VA, where they viewed pop-up artwork by Chinese-American artist Colette Fu. Dr. Zalduondo said that she is amazed by how many different cultures there are in China, and that we often think of China as one big culture, while there are more than 55 different subcultures. She encourages students to experience as many other cultures as possible and to travel to China as part of the Global Education Program to broaden their horizons and learn more about China.
“To see how kind and polite those who visit is good for Americans to see… it’s a whole different kind of way of getting that culture from the news media or the things that you read in history.”
Dr. Rob Merritt, Chair of the Department of English
Amy encouraged BC students to research Chinese culture on the internet, though she cautioned them that the information is not always complete. Her hope is that students better understand more cultures because they are all different and important to learn.
“I really hope students have opportunities to come to China because they [America and China] have very different cultures,” Karida said. She also believes that students should not always trust the internet and said that she is always willing to show her American friends around Nanjing.
Bluefield College students interested in a semester of study in China or other study abroad opportunities in BC’s Global Exchange Program can contact Dr. Zalduondo by email at mzalduondo@bluefield.edu or visit the BC website at bluefield.edu/study-abroad.