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| | | In contrast to the American dichotomy, foreignness is perceived quite differently in China. There are still two different attitudes, loosely one positive and one negative, though there is more nuance. The positive word towards foreignness may be 崇洋媚外 (chong yang mei wai), which translates to “worshiping the west and fawning the foreign,” or similar to xenophilia, as the modern coinage goes. This modern word emerged as a China in decline encountered the West, and found it to be more advanced than itself. Unfamiliar with inferiority, people swarmed to praise the desirable foreign, hoping to free ride on whatever amazing inventions the foreign could bring so that they would not fall behind. But ironically it was also because people were unfamiliar with inferiority, harsh criticism against those who are too intimate with the foreign quickly took hold. The word 崇洋媚外 may denote a positive impression of the foreign, but it is intertwined with a feeling of despise towards those who are willing to believe that the superiority of the foreign is unattainable. For better or worse, the word’s legacy goes beyond the time when the country was entrenched in war and poverty. It is very much still a prevalent sentiment today, which reflects the Chinese psyche that agonizes over the distance between the great China in imagination and the flawed China in reality. | |
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< | The negative attitude towards foreigners belittles them, using words such as “小” (little/small) and “蛮夷” (savage foreigner). This attitude has a much longer history, which goes back probably all the way to the beginning of the civilization when the civilized people encountered the surrounding tribes. The usage of these words is still quite common today, with some changes in definition, and is used to describe not only the inferior but also the hostile. But what is not obvious in the words themselves is that there is very little, if any, fear behind them. Apathy, and occasionally pity, are what the Chinese feel towards those that are inferior and hostile. | >
> | The negative attitude towards foreigners belittles them, using words such as “小” (little/small) and “蛮夷” (savage foreigner). This attitude has a much longer history, which goes back probably all the way to the beginning of the civilization when the civilized people encountered the surrounding tribes. The usage of these words is still quite common today, with some changes in definition, and is used to describe not only the inferior but also the hostile. But what is not obvious in the words themselves is that there is very little, if any, fear behind them. Apathy, and occasionally pity, are what the Chinese feel towards those that may be inferior and hostile. | | | So the difference | |
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< | It cannot go unnoticed that the discrepancy between the English romanticized foreign and the Chinese one – the former is the unknown, the faraway, the simple and pure, while the latter is the known, the influential, the advanced and sophisticated. And the difference between the English disliked foreign and the Chinese one is that the former is imminent and threatening, while the latter is distant and harmlessly ignorant. Yet the similarity that may escape the attention of many is that neither culture wishes to change. For America, the foreign may be a temporary escape, but with that escape, the foreign is improved by the sheer presence of the superior; for China, the foreign may have characteristics that deserve recognition and imitation, but with the appropriation of those characteristics, the foreign remains the same while China progresses for the better. | >
> | It cannot go unnoticed that the discrepancy between the English romanticized foreign and the Chinese one – the former is the unknown, the faraway, the simple and pure, while the latter is the known, the influential, the advanced and sophisticated. And the difference between the English disliked foreign and the Chinese one is that the former is imminent and threatening, while the latter is distant and harmlessly ignorant. Yet the similarity that may escape the attention of many is that neither culture wishes to change. For America, the foreign may be a temporary escape, but with that escape, the foreign is improved by the sheer presence of the superior; for China, the foreign may have characteristics that deserve recognition and imitation, but with the appropriation of those characteristics, the foreign remains foreign while China progresses to a better self. | | | | |
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< | The stereotypical foreigner in the eyes of some Americans is one whose own culture and society is inferior, in one way or another, and either finds America desirable and wishes to be a part of it, or is jealous of America and wishes to “bring it down.” The stereotypical foreigner in the eyes of many Chinese is one who either represents all things better or all things worse, neither of whom impacts what China itself does. | >
> | The stereotypical foreigner in the eyes of some Americans is one whose own culture and society is inferior, in one way or another, and either finds America desirable and wishes to be a part of it, or is jealous of America and wishes to “bring it down,” and the Americans react accordingly. The stereotypical foreigner in the eyes of many Chinese is one who either represents a better life or a worse life, neither impacts what China thinks of itself. | | |
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