China's Identity Crisis?

From wsj.com

Caroline Swartz was hired as a project manager at a Chinese public-relations firm in Beijing in 2006. For the majority of the year she worked there, she was never asked to do anything except sit in meetings, quietly. She would be called in with no knowledge of what the meetings were about or even who the clients were. Afterwards, she would be told to go back to her desk.

"I was presented, always visible and on display. But I didn't have any responsibility," says Ms. Swartz, now a student in New York City. She got paid to do basically nothing because she's white, she says. The firm had both Chinese and Western clients so they wanted to look international. This business approach may not seem politically correct but it reflects a new dynamic between China and the West: Westerners, especially Caucasians are getting employment opportunities because some Chinese firms want to use them to portray an image of high status and sophistication.

The relationship between China and the West has been fraught with ambiguity since the two Opium Wars in the mid-1800s, which triggered both a nationalistic reaction against imperialism and feelings of national self-loathing and idolatry for anything Western. In the early 1900s, following the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, some Chinese literati argued that China's military, economic and spiritual weakness made it an easy prey for aggressive foreigners. In order to save the nation, they said, China needed "total Westernization," rejecting traditional ideals embodied in the Confucian system and adopting European systems and values—so-called Mr. Democracy and Mr. Science.

The Chinese superiority/inferiority complex is rooted in what is known as the "one-hundred years of national humiliation," and has never resolved itself, even after Chairman Mao announced in 1949, "The Chinese people have stood up." It exists even though China has transformed itself into an economic power in the past three decades. On the one hand, China demands more respect from the West in the international arena, but it treats Westerners as superior on a personal level.

Having said that, I think these attitudes are changing among the younger generation, especially in bigger cities.

Two to three decades ago, Westerners could go to hotels, restaurants and department stores that catered to them exclusively and paid in a special currency called "foreign exchange certificates." Now at restaurants and department stores Chinese are often the ones who splurge on champagne, designer clothes and luxury cars. But even in Beijing and Shanghai it's not uncommon for anybody who works or socializes with Westerners to suffer from less favorable treatment from the service people. Some restaurants give Westerners better tables and serve them first. A friend, married to a European, has had trouble getting into her Beijing apartment complex when she forgets her security pass while the guards have never bothered to ask her husband for his pass. The truth is my friend owns the place.

Some Chinese have gone to the extremes to take advantage of the notion of Western superiority. A top Chinese executive at a multinational manufacturer in China (one with a U.S. permanent resident card) has a "white guy" business strategy: when he travels to smaller cities: He always makes sure he brings along a Caucasian employee. "The locals always treat us better when there's a white guy around," he says. The guy is often an engineer who doesn't need to open his mouth at the meetings. But his presence somehow makes things go more smoothly or, at least, makes the atmosphere friendlier.

But there's a drawback in the "white guy" strategy: when locals meet the executive and his team for the first time, their initial reaction is always that the white guy is the boss and the executive his interpreter. The executive says he doesn't mind at all as long as they get the business done.

For some white people hired for this purpose, it's not an easy situation to deal with. Ms. Swartz felt she was treated like a child and even a "zoo animal" at the firm. But she needed the job to take care of her newborn baby. She didn't start taking on any real responsibility, such as overseeing clients, until a manager overheard her speaking Mandarin. "They didn't even read my résumé," says Ms. Swartz, who studied eight years of Mandarin before moving to China. But she also believes that it's good for white people to experience racism because most people on earth have to deal with it, and "it doesn't feel good."

The European husband of my friend provided a different perspective. When I asked him what he thinks of the way the guards treat him better than his wife, he says there's nothing wrong with that. He says the guards should treat everybody like him, but that won't change until Chinese learn to treat migrant workers and poor people with more respect. I think he has a good point.

Write to Li Yuan at li.yuan@wsj.com

Sunset in the Scholar's Garden, Staten Island, NYC

History
Traditional Chinese gardens go back almost 2,000 years to the Han Dynasty though most Scholar's Gardens date back to the more recent Ming and Qing dynasties.

A Scholar's Garden would have been built by a scholar or an administrator retiring from the emperor's court. It would have been an enclosed private garden always associated with a house which, in turn without its garden, would not have been considered whole.

This garden, designed and built by LAC, is enclosed by walls, a series of pavilions (eight in all), and covered walkways. These are all organized in an irregular manner to create in addition to the two major courtyards a series of six others of varying sizes.

The art of the Chinese garden is closely related to Chinese landscape painting - it is not a literal imitation of a natural landscape, but the capturing of its essence and spirit.

The parallel could be drawn to a Chinese hand scroll painting which as it unrolls, reveals a journey full of surprises and meditative pauses.

The enjoyment of the garden is both contemplative and sensual. It comes from making the most out of the experiences of everyday life, as such, architectural elements are always a part of a Scholar's Garden.

The painter's eye must be used to lay out the main architectural elements - the wall becomes the paper the rockery and plant are painted on. The structures playfully rise and fall, twist and turn and even "leave" the garden to take advantage of and even create a great variety of beautiful scenes.

To paraphrase the 15th century garden designer Ji Ching: "The garden is created by the human hand, but should appear as if created by heaven."

SUNSET IN THE SCHOLAR'S GARDEN
Thursday, July 15, 2010
7pm - 9pm
New York Chinese Scholar's Garden, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
1000 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301
phone (+1) 718 448 2500
e-mail: info@snug-harbor.org

Enjoy a summer evening in the luxurious, unique, and intimate setting of the internationally-acclaimed New York Chinese Scholar's Garden in a way that few have ever experienced. After a long day, watch the sun set amidst the beautiful surroundings of the garden with a drink in hand as you listen to some light mood-setting live music!

$35 per person ($40 at the door)
Includes: beer, wine, Chinese finger foods, and live music.
Purchase tickets online at www.ShowTix4U.com or call 718-425-3516.

July 23 Free NYC Concert Little Angels of Canton

Thank you to Man-Li K Lin for this info; for details please email her at manlikuo@hotmail.com

The GuangZhou Children Symphony Orchestra will be performing at St. Paul the Apostle Church, Columbus Avenue & 60th St in Manhattan on Friday, July 23rd from 7pm-9pm.
Free Admission

Chinese Language School of Connecticut Offers Expanded Art and Culture Programs

Students Participate in Chinese Art and Culture Programs
-- Redding-based Artist Introduces Children to Chinese-Themed Mixed-Media Art --

“VP Art & Culture Katy Chen Myers is an energetic, true professional, dedicated to exploring Chinese history and culture with students via art, and we are all so lucky to have her,” noted CLSC Principal, Daisy Chen Laone.

Riverside, CT, July 1, 2010 – The Chinese Language School of Connecticut (www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org), the fully-accredited, non-profit, Riverside, CT-based provider of Chinese language programs to students, schools and corporations, is pleased to announce expansion of their Art and Culture programs for academic year 2010 - 2011.

During the Art and Culture section of CLSC’s classes this year, VP Art & Culture Katy Chen Myers, of Redding, CT, developed and ran segments whereby students studied traditions and celebrations focused on Chinese folktales and festivals such as the Moon festival. Handcrafted lanterns have been designed by CLSC students for an art shows in Westport and Greenwich this fall and winter.

Ms. Myers explained, Children love to cook, and eat, and are usually very interested in what others’ meals are like, as well. In our segment “The Chinese Diet” we studied agricultural traditions of northern and southern China, culminating with a look at traditional Chinese foods, and the banquet foods of the Qing Dynasty.

China has a tradition of travelling performers creating shadow puppet theaters during the Ming Dynasty, and up to the modern era. Our younger students were able to design their own shadow puppets as they learned about these Chinese entertainment traditions. We created our own, authentic traveling Chinese Shadow Puppet theater, probably the only one in the tri-state area, and students assisted in recent puppet performances.”

Ms. Myers continued, “One of our goals is to introduce Chinese as a second language to students while allowing them to explore Chinese culture via art in age appropriate ways. Our older students’ main focus centered on answering the question: Who am I? by creating a mixed-media project which involved students telling their own story by creating a biography in Chinese characters, and by creating self portraits using the graphic novel “American Born Chinese by Gene Yang as their inspiration.

Another project for this upcoming school year is the Chinese Cherry & plum blossom quilt which will also be readied for exhibit in upcoming shows.

One of the highlights of this past year was that in addition to showcasing work at various children’s venues, art created by CLSC students was accepted into a professional artist exhibit at Weston Art’s Center in Weston CT. The seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, a series of four paintings by students from CLSC levels 3-8, was displayed alongside works by professional illustrators, photographers and print makers from all over the US.

We are currently working with various venues to plan more exhibits as professionals, in New Canaan, Ridgefield and New York City for the 2010-2011 academic year. The main theme for CLSC’s art and culture segments next year will be the Silk Road. Many exciting projects are currently being planned for all levels with the goal being exhibition in various schools and libraries in Fairfield County.

I’m so pleased to be able to share my passion for art, and Chinese culture, with students of all ages, via CLSC’s programs. ”

For information on CLSC’s weekend or weekday language classes, summer programs, private tutoring, corporate services, or any of their other programs, please visit www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org or email them at info@ChineseLanguageSchool.org.

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Museum of the Chinese in America

http://www.mocanyc.org/visit/exhibits/current/the_chinese_american_experience

With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America
With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America presents the diverse layers of the Chinese American experience, while examining America’s journey as a nation of immigrants. It interweaves the historical and political context of Chinese immigration to the United States with the personal stories and cultural traces of multiple generations to tie together three main threads:

1) The relationship between China and the United States; and its impact on Chinese Americans.
2) How Chinese Americans have perceived themselves in American society (and been perceived) over time.
3) The impact of Chinese Americans on American politics, culture, and life.



With a Single Step is organized thematically and chronologically by section:



1) Go East! Go West! (1784-1870) opens the exhibition with the flows and exchange of and people between the United States and China in the nineteenth century; how this encounter helped shape the formation of new American identities and brought America into the industrial revolution; and the diverse roles Chinese workers played in the industrialization of America.



2) Down With Monopolies! The Chinese Must Go! (1870-1930s) examines the political climate in America leading up to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, and its impact as the first federal law to restrict the immigration of a specific group based on nationality, defining in legal terms who could not “become American.”



3) Imagined and Intimate (1900-1930s) shows how the idea of “Chinatown” as a foreign place developed in the American imagination through the intimate genre of photography; while Chinese laborers, excluded from entering the skilled trades, were forced to make a living by providing services to whites on an intimate level by doing laundry, cooking food, and keeping house.



4) Welcome to Chinatown! presents examples of “yellowface” in mainstream culture, and how Chinese Americans have survived in economically marginalized environments through such creative inventions like chop suey.



5) Building Community showcases an old general store – a composite of salvaged objects and memories from Chinatown stores across the United States (Los Angeles, Boston, and New York City). General stores are, at once, a supplier of everyday and specialty Chinese goods, pharmacy, post office, travel agency, and community center.


6) The Rising Spirit addresses how cultural traditions and social/political networking have knit isolated people and fragmented families and communities together.



7) Allies and Enemies (1940-1950s) presents the dramatic changes of fortune for Chinese Americans. The U.S. and China become Allies during WWII, and the Chinese Exclusion Act is repealed; political refugees of the Chinese Civil War and students stranded in the U.S. create a new wave of Chinese immigration to America; and the Cold War creates a political environment that targets Chinese Americans as potential enemies of the state.



8) Towards a More Perfect Union (1960- Present) invites visitors to explore the impact of the American social movements of the 1960s, the normalization of U.S.-China relations, and the de-racialization of immigration laws in 1965 on the changes in the Chinese American community. MOCA presents projects inspired by an idea, a question, or a discovery, that have caused ripples in the society in which we live. Through these examples, we come to see that the Chinese American experience is an ongoing project, an adventurous undertaking with changing players and inspired outcomes. Visitors are asked to tell the Museum of ongoing projects and/or personal stories that represent the journey we all make in finding community and home.



9) MOCA video archive Many Voices, One Humanity
Twelve individuals discuss their own personal connections to the Chinese American story.
1. Agnes Chan, first Asian American woman NYPD officer

2. Emily Chang, spoken word artist/actor
3. Ti-Hua Chang, broadcast journalist
4. Jeff Gammage, journalist/father of two daughters adopted from China
5. Jennifer 8. Lee, journalist, New York Times
6. John Liu, first Asian American NYC councilmember and Democratic nominee for NYC comptroller
7. Roger Brue McHayle, co-founder PNB clothing
8. Taiyo Na, spoken word poet/musician
9. Father Raymond Nobiletti, Transfiguration Church
10. Anna Sui, fashion designer
11. Frank Wu, legal scholar
12. Henry Yung Jr., descendant of Yung Wing

Putting on the Ritz for Chinese Tourists

What the Ritz in Paris Is Putting on for Chinese Tourists
Available at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704895204575320044006633632.html#printMode

Top hoteliers can't ignore the flood of elite Chinese tourists stamping its mark on the global tourism industry, says Omer Acar, general manager of the Ritz Hotel Paris. But exactly how do you learn what will appeal to these new Chinese clients?

One way is to fly halfway round the world and visit China for a spot of tourism yourself. Mr. Acar last week wrapped up his first visit to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong to get a better sense of his customers' needs. In between bites of Peking duck dipped in sugar, learning that xie xie means "thank you," and trying to squeeze time in his schedule to go shark's fin shopping, Mr. Acar found time to talk to Amy Ma in Hong Kong. The following interview has been edited:

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Newscom

The Hotel Ritz in Paris.
.WSJ: How has Chinese tourism to France changed in recent years?

Mr. Acar: Ten or 15 years ago, they always came in large tour groups because you get the sense there was a fear of traveling alone in an unknown place. But nowadays, they come by themselves, book their three-star Michelin restaurants, and know just what bottle of wine they prefer with their food.


WSJ: What changes have you made for Chinese guests?

Mr. Acar: We have a Mandarin-speaking guest relationship manager and translators on hand. There are Chinese menus, and even in a gastronomic restaurant, we offer chopsticks, and we're much more international. If you want to start off with sushi, then have wonton noodles, and finish with a French dessert, we cannot say "no."


WSJ: What are the most popular hotel requests from Chinese customers?

Mr. Acar: There's a big focus on luxury brands, from watches to fashion—all limited collectibles. What they want from us is simple: find it. Even if these items are available in Shanghai or Hong Kong, there's a value to buying it in Paris, in the flagship store. Just a few days ago, I was in the lobby preparing for my China trip when a group of tourists from Hangzhou came back with a car that I can only say looked like a miniature Hermès boutique because it was piled high with so many Hermès boxes.


WSJ: How has luxury travel changed recently?

Mr. Acar:Luxury has become a lot more last-minute these days for everyone, not just Chinese tourists. To do what you what, when you what it—that's the new luxury. Hotels have a lot less time to prepare, but guests also pay a premium for it.

WSJ: Have you made any dedicated efforts to attract Chinese clientele?

Mr. Acar:For China and Hong Kong, we're promoting a lot of one-of-a-kind experiences you can't arrange as a tourist on your own. Guests can stay in the Chanel Suite, where Coco Chanel lived for 37 years, and get a tour of her apartment. They can do a private macaron tasting at La Durée, or get a cocktail named after them and put on the menu at the Hemingway bar. It even comes with a gift of Christofle chopsticks.


WSJ: A lot of other hotel chains are opening in Paris within the next few years—how will that affect business?

Mr. Acar:I think tourists to Paris would welcome more choices. Independent hotels like us can't promote as much as these larger chains with an Asia-heavy presence. They can cross-promote in their other hotels around the world. Ultimately, the amount of inbound customers will increase. And that's good news for all of us.

CLSC Year End Ceremony!

Congratulations to all our CLSC students and teachers for another wonderful year at CLSC!

For more information on how you can participate, please visit www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org or email us at info@ChineseLanguageSchool.org

Please search us on Facebook under Chinese Language School of Connecticut for more photos!

Following are some of our students' performances, teachers' awards, presentation of students' final presentations.