The Canadian-Chinese Business Student

What is it like visiting China as a Chinese boy who was born and raised in Canada?

 

When I start to begin to socialize and interact with the people who live there through gaps in my Chinese skills, they kind of realized that maybe I studied abroad or that I'm a foreigner.

 

There's a thing in China that I've noticed is that they're always very interested in what's happening outside the country, because most of them have never left China. So when they find out that you've studied abroad, or your foreigner, they often like to actually take a photo. They also ask a bunch of questions, but they're very intrigued, and they just really like to learn from foreigners about their experiences living outside of China

 

When I said I was from Canada, obviously, a lot of them don't really have a good knowledge of differences in Canada, United States. So a lot of them asked me if I went to Harvard, and to that I said, No, that's Harvard is in the United States. They also, you know, compared to most Chinese Canadians here my Chinese is pretty good because my mom did bring me to Chinese school every week. So they would often be impressed, though with my Chinese skill, even though I basically spent my entire life in Canada.

 

What are the biggest differences between Canadian and Chinese culture?

 

Well, the biggest thing in terms of Chinese culture. I think it can be observed when you eat dinner with someone. So when you eat a meal, it could often come down to people fighting to pay the bills.

 

So when you go to dinner in China versus Canada, I would find that a lot of it is in Chinese culture where they take pride in generosity. That especially when you're eating out with elders or family members, that you should be the one who treats the bill, and that often really results in a group of people fighting you pay the bill, and you can imagine how awkward that can get if you're the cashier, or the person taking the bill. But yeah, whereas I, where I've seen in Canada, it's much more normal to Dutch pay. It's much more normal to split. And you know that is just part of candidating culture, whereas Chinese, I think their values contrast where they take more pride in generosity

 

What aspects of Chinese culture are best represented in Canada?

 

Yeah, so as much of Chinese families have moved to Canada, I believe one thing that still keeps Chinese people together is community, whether that's from Christmas to Chinese New Year Chinese people very value gathering together and communal family time quality time with relatives and family and during New years, especially you would see all sorts of things that symbolize that us Chinese people are coming together as a community, whether that's from just hanging out. Hanging the red posters for good luck, or giving out red packets, no matter where you live. If there is a Chinese community out there, they definitely value quality time with each other.

 

If there was one part of Chinese culture that wasn't already very well represented in Canada, which one would it be?

 

What are the biggest differences between the learning environment in Canada and China?

 

Yeah, for sure. So in China, getting good grades matters from a very early age because over here in Canada, you would just be placed in kindergarten or elementary school, and then you would transition into a high school that was already decided for you when you decided to enroll at the elementary school, from there only from high school would you apply to universities or postsecondary, and the biggest difference here is that in China grades matter since the very beginning, because is unlike Canada in China, schools separated from the elementary middle and high school and in order to end in terms, of the middle schools it's not selected based on the elementary school. You would have to apply, and much of the application process is based on one's academics. And in order for someone to go to a more prestigious middle school or high school, one would have to have early academic excess, which ultimately leads to the GaoKao, which many people find very difficult. Overall, I would just say that the culture and how hard the pressure to help the pressure just do well in school is the main difference between here in China.