[Uzbekistan] Sulaymanov Djamshid, Beijing Language and Culture University
As China’s composite national strength and international influence continue to grow, scholars around the world are paying more attentions to this country.
Besides, people from the outside also become more and more interested in China and begin to form in their own mind an image of it. There is a Chinese saying “A tall tree is more likely to be blown by the wind”. Many foreign governments often view China without taking into account the real context of this country. Instead, some misinterpret the situation in China for the sake of their own political and interest demands. Different from most people who come to China for a short-term visit, I have lived in China for more than 20 years and I have witnessed the remarkable changes in new China.
Since the Reform and Opening-up, the image of China in the world has changed considerably in the eyes of the people outside the country because they can be easily informed about China by the think-tank scholars, journalists, international students, tourists and they can have access to see China themselves in film and television works. However, it is a pity that the core values of the Chinese people are often overlooked. In fact, we can see them from China’s inclusiveness of diverse cultures, from its complementarity of economic and technological development, and from the progressive nature of its civilization. That is the Chinese have not only preserved the essence of traditional culture, but have also incorporated contemporary advanced values since the Reform and Opening-up. It reveals to the world its most charming characteristics.
I have stayed long in China so I have a lot to say about it and I have a deep understanding of China’s inclusiveness of diverse cultures. The most impressive part is that when I first came to China to study in 1998 China’s economy was not yet fully integrated into the international community, nor did it have highways that almost every village nowadays has been connected to.
While studying abroad, I experienced the acceptance of every foreigner and their culture by the Chinese people. That was the confidence they showed in this inclusive mentality. Now, I have stepped into society but I still feel the same. I think that China, no matter what period it is in, or whether it is a little backward or more advanced, has a broad mind like the sea, accepting and embracing millions of rivers. And no matter how critical some may be of China, the Chinese government will always keep on its focus on “the people”, both domestic and abroad.
Objectively speaking, there are many accurate statistics and facts which show that the Chinese people are, on their way, learning diligently, innovating industriously so as to make a self-improvement by correcting their weaknesses and keep going on towards their future goals. One of the mysteries that I have been unable to unravel is why the Chinese people have not lost their core values in the process of rapid social development and change. When I first arrived at school and started working, the Chinese people were very inclusive of diverse cultures and still maintain the same level of acceptance now. We do not know whether this is because of the splendid Chinese history and its profound culture, or because they have shaped themselves through constant improvement and adjustment. These are all worth studying and learning from.
Many international students, or foreigners who come to China for living or working purposes, often choose to remain in China afterwords. When explaining the reasons, they often mention the attraction of Chinese food, its sceneries, its culture or the harmonious co-existence of diverse nationalities.
But I think the reasons are more than that. The most important thing is that no matter where you come from, you are shown, in this country, by the generosity of the Chinese people. You are as comfortable as being at home!
The story is from "My Beautiful Encounter with China" Essay Competition organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges (CSCSE).
