Reason Number 24 - Why am I Speaking English?
Rabu, 20 Agustus 2008
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‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 45
"Between the years 1978 and 2006 China allowed 1,067,000 of its young citizens to study abroad. More than 792,000 of those citizens never came home.
They never returned to ‘the motherland,’ and have never returned to be Chinese. Three out of four of those more than one million minds, full of new information, education and ideas, nation-building qualities, are still keeping the company of Western economies and living a Western lifestyle.
In the earlier years of this exodus, the most popular study designations were the US, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. But more recently many other countries have joined the list. New Zealand. Ireland. France. Germany. Italy. Spain. Austria. Even Russia and the Ukraine. It seems that almost any country is preferable to departing Chinese youth than China."
The exodus of students from China is indeed vast. And that’s largely commendable – Chinese university education being so shit, the only way to get a decent education is to leave China. And while overseas education does indeed change students, it is not perhaps as effective in doing so as it could be.
The reason for this is that Chinese students, on the whole, opt for an exceedingly narrow choice of study subjects. And the most single popular topic of study is greed. Greed, money, cash, capitalism, all that – students want to study accounting, business, finance, management… and, of course, MBA degrees. Anyone who studies an MBA degree is pretty much guaranteed to be a wanker, by the way.
Add to this a good proportion of students studying computer science (also perceived as a path to financial success) and a smaller (but much nobler) number aiming at medicine, and you pretty much cover the whole diaspora.
These students may well help boost China’s economy.
But where are the students who will help expand China’s soul?
The reason for this is that Chinese students, on the whole, opt for an exceedingly narrow choice of study subjects. And the most single popular topic of study is greed. Greed, money, cash, capitalism, all that – students want to study accounting, business, finance, management… and, of course, MBA degrees. Anyone who studies an MBA degree is pretty much guaranteed to be a wanker, by the way.
Add to this a good proportion of students studying computer science (also perceived as a path to financial success) and a smaller (but much nobler) number aiming at medicine, and you pretty much cover the whole diaspora.
These students may well help boost China’s economy.
But where are the students who will help expand China’s soul?
‘Fault Lines On The Face Of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great’ - Excerpt 46
"Nearly 80% of Chinese students – from primary age to undergraduates – list learning English as their top priority. One survey, said Chinese media, suggested that 56% of students not studying English majors spent ‘a large portion’ of their time on English, and another 19% spent almost all their time studying the language. All Chinese university students – no matter what they are studying – must pass English exams otherwise they cannot graduate. For many students, cramming to pass these exams is the single biggest burden on their time.
According to China International Business magazine, English is a ‘status symbol’ and can even be a factor in marriage. 'A man without a grasp of English is nearly paralyzed”'a young Chinese woman told the magazine, describing her requirements for a potential husband. 'It is obvious that a young man without a fair command of English won’t be able to climb up the social ladder.'
English can be viewed as a ‘virus’ in terms of the effect it is having on China. The combination of the internet and widespread ability to read English has created a democracy of communication in China. Government censorship of English-based websites is much less severe than Chinese-based websites – a ‘one internet, two systems’ culture. Yet China does not have a democracy in thought, since its government restricts the combination of free thinking and free expression among its people.
While the Party is remarkably efficient at controlling how people think and speak using the Chinese language, when it comes to English their control is severely limited. Knowledge of English allows Chinese citizens to escape the straitjacket of government control."
"Nearly 80% of Chinese students – from primary age to undergraduates – list learning English as their top priority. One survey, said Chinese media, suggested that 56% of students not studying English majors spent ‘a large portion’ of their time on English, and another 19% spent almost all their time studying the language. All Chinese university students – no matter what they are studying – must pass English exams otherwise they cannot graduate. For many students, cramming to pass these exams is the single biggest burden on their time.
According to China International Business magazine, English is a ‘status symbol’ and can even be a factor in marriage. 'A man without a grasp of English is nearly paralyzed”'a young Chinese woman told the magazine, describing her requirements for a potential husband. 'It is obvious that a young man without a fair command of English won’t be able to climb up the social ladder.'
English can be viewed as a ‘virus’ in terms of the effect it is having on China. The combination of the internet and widespread ability to read English has created a democracy of communication in China. Government censorship of English-based websites is much less severe than Chinese-based websites – a ‘one internet, two systems’ culture. Yet China does not have a democracy in thought, since its government restricts the combination of free thinking and free expression among its people.
While the Party is remarkably efficient at controlling how people think and speak using the Chinese language, when it comes to English their control is severely limited. Knowledge of English allows Chinese citizens to escape the straitjacket of government control."
Perhaps knowledge of English might also help those Chinese citizens with an open mind read more widely about Tibet and Xinjiang and learn to see that these countries are indeed captive possessions of China. 'T' for Tibet and 'X' for Xinjiang.
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Judul: Reason Number 24 - Why am I Speaking English?
Ditulis oleh Unknown
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