Asia and the World

[Anonymous]

Have the rest of you noticed how news about China is regularly making it onto the front page of the L.A. Times? Yesterday's (December 31) Column One article described Chinese parents desire to get their adult sons and daughters married to the "right" person by congregating at parks and swapping info about the eligibility -- age, height, weight, educational degrees, income -- of their kids. A couple of interesting quotes: "It's the fate of Chinese parents, the park-goers say with a weary sigh, to do whatever they can for their children and future grandchildren, in a culture centered on clans, generational continuity and ancestor worship." "Traditionally marriage was seen as a union of two families, not something left to the whims of individuals. 'Marriage is for the parents, the society and future generations' says Chen Yiyun, head of a matchmaking webside...'It's not about happiness or love'".
As we study different ancient civilizations (6th grade), I urge my students to find ways the ancient ideas and customs might still be at work today. For one quarter I have the LA Times delivered one day a week and have students look for connections between what we've learned and what is being reported today. This is a great example. I hope China remains on the front page for the 3rd quarter of the school year.
I could see this article sparking an interesting discussion in high school classes -- where students are encouraged to see that there are many ways societies have of organizing lives. Is it best to marry for love or for family continuity? Should choice always be an individual decision or are there times that a nod to the good of the community is better?
Cheryl Tchir
[Edit by="ctchir on Jan 1, 4:26:02 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

A second front page article on China appeared in today's LA Times: "Child-Theft Racket Growing in China". This is a heart-breaking article showing how greed trumps basic moral virtues in the abduction for profit of thousands of Chinese children . Some are sold to adoption agencies catering to the Western world (in which China earns millions of dollars a year), others are forced into prostitution or begging. Here are a couple of interesting quotes: "Stealing children was virtually unthinkable 25 years ago when communism was the prevailing ideology and neighborhood minders watched a person's every move. The headlong rush for material wealth since then has resulted in "transition problems" as social mores give way to greed, experts say."
"Morality has disappeared and people now do anything for money," said Xia Xuelunan, a sociologist at Peking University. "Child abduction is a truly ugly phenomenon, an extremely serious social problem."
This article poses interesting questions for high school economics or history classes. When an extremely oppressive society, such as Maoist China or Communist USSR, starts allowing more economic freedom, will greed and loss of morals always cause misery along with the benefits? How should these potential problems be dealt with?
Cheryl Tchir [Edit by="ctchir on Jan 1, 4:46:25 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I read both these articles and the many others there are, daily, about China in the LA Times these days. I agree that the one about the child abudctions was incredibly sad, especially when it was suggested that the authorities really didn't care because the children are usually stolen from the poorest citizens. They have noone to turn to for help. The article also suggests that most of the children are sold to foreigners (i.e. Westerners) because that is where the money is...approx $3000 per adoption. Sort of makes me wonder whether the Western adoption agencies are looking the other way. Are we egotistic enough to believe that the children would have a better future here in America than with their own parents in China? It broke my heart reading about the sadness of those parents. I can't imagine how I would feel if someone took away my children....

[Anonymous]

I have noticed the prominence of China recently too. I imagine as the sleeping dragon awakens, the world notices the rumblings.

on a lighter note, there was an article in the Christian Science Monitor a few days ago (12/30/05 or so?) about how SE Asia is seeing a huge increase in Chinese tourists. As many Chinese will visit Thailand as Japanese this year. But, the article's headline was not about the successes of Chinese economy but on the obnoxious behavior of the Chinese tourists. The article stated that their behavior rivals "ugly Americans"! Now that's going too far, I think.

The article explained that the Thais didn't mind because the tour agents were paid to take the tourists to certain places that they would spend their money. Hmm, did anyone else notice the panda bear coat and mink shoes that Clay was wearing recently? Just kidding, dan.

[clay dube]

Yes, the Chinese are hitting the road. I was amazed in 1999 to have a couple Shanghai friends tell me they'd been to Thailand and South Korea. And in 2002 I encountered a group of female factory workers at the Fijian airport. They'd spent a week there. It's a far cry from the early 1980s when it was difficult for Chinese tourists (who were privileged enough to have passports, not a simple thing at that time) to get visas for short term visits to Thailand.

The Yahoo News version of the article Dan refers to above can be found at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20051228/ts_csm/ochinatours_1

The Christian Science Monitor version is at:
http://search.csmonitor.com/search_content/1228/p01s02-woap.html

One of the challenges we face with these tours is getting the tour companies to minimize the shopping stops. Most such stops offer little that is especially good or a good value. The guides hate it, but I tell our travelers to give most such stops a miss. Hurry back and get on the bus so that we can get to someplace worth lingering at.

[Edit by="Clay Dube on Jan 4, 11:11:34 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

The Chinese one child law has left many female children aborted or in orphanages in China. Thus, many U.S. families have adopted these children. Such a kind a compassionate effort to help others, does have some issues, though. Here are many caucasian families raising Chinese daughters. What does that mean to the child?

The Asia Institute site posted an article in December about two groups who have come together to aide these children. One is an organization called Families with Children from China (FCC). The other is Chinese Cultural Dance Club (CCDC). These two groups have combined to give a little native culture and mentoring to these young girls. The dance group incorporates the young girls into their dancing classes. In addition, a big sister program has been set up so these young girls can have mentors as well. I was especially touched by one of the mothers reporting that before this experience, her daughter just wanted to be blonde and blue eyed, but now she finds value in her own looks, as she meets others who are kind and look like she does. What a great way to aide children in the sometimes difficult task of growing up multicultural.

[Anonymous]

A while back I wanted to adopt a Chinese girl. It definitely was influenced by the media's attention/focus on the plight of girls being left on the side of the road to die, or left at orphanages, etc.

Then recently, I also read about the child abduction now occuring because of the profiteering of people to sell these poor children to Western adoptions, prostitution, etc.

Part of the reason I wanted to do this (or still do it, I'm not sure) was that I am of a mixed heritage background and grew up in a neighborhood that was not. I wanted to "help" the children and also felt I would be able to appreciate and convey the need to be connected with their culture.

Is it so awful for a person of one culture to raise a child of another culture? Even in the U.S. the issue of Caucasian parents raising African-Amer, children is an issue.

I don't really have an answer I just wanted to pose some questions and get some opinions on the topic of whether is it appropriate for us Americans to think we can go and "save" these unfortunate Chinese children.

[Edit by="fisakson on Jan 5, 10:01:37 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I think it is wonderful for Americans (or anyone else) to adopt children that are orphaned in China. A child raised in a house with love, regardless of culture, has got to be much better than the plight many of these children face when abandoned in China. My concern is only that these children are in fact orphanes and have not been abducted from their family for a quick profit. I guess we can only hope that the orphange and the adoption agencies are reputable and the Chinese government starts to close down those that are not. [Edit by="kllewellyn on Jan 6, 9:34:27 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to remind everyone that the Marketplace radio focus on China started today and there are some real interesting pieces on the internet at Marketplace from American Public Media. The pieces are generally short, too. You won't have to listen to the entire half hour show or the review of the Dow or S & P numbers if you don't want to.

But please find and check out the cooooool economic timeline of China that their website provides. It goes all the way back to the Han dynasty(!!!) to the present.

dan

[Anonymous]

I don't think there's anything wrong with people of different races/ethnicities/cultures adopting kids of any race/eth/culture per se. Certainly if the kid is stolen, there's problems. From the people of Korean ancestry who've been adopted by Caucasians that I've met, I've hea rd mostly good things except from one who grew up with fundamentalist Christians. This man felt like he had been brainwashed as a child and resented his upbringing for that reason even though he loved and appreciated his adoptive parents. I'm sure that happens with children and their biological parents too.

After reading the article, I would certainly be insistent in knowing exactly about the adopting agency and I would hope the adopting agency would be concerned with who the Americans adopting are too.

There was an incident during the Vietnam War where mixed race kids of Vietnamese and American soldiers were taken from their mothers and sent to adoptive parents in the US. the reason the Americans parents took them was that they were told that they were abandoned. that turned out not to be true. the us gov had told the mothers that they would be better off in the us and convinced them to give up their kids. i think i saw this in the movie daughter from danang if i'm not mistaken. great film about a daughter going back to vietnnam and meeting one of these mothers that had been convinced by the us gov to give up her daughter.

i guess another tough question would be how to make sure you are being culturally responsive to the child who hasn't had the opportunity to be immeresed in his/her culture and to make her proud of it.

rambling sign-off

dan

[Anonymous]

I certainly think that a loving home, of any ethnicity, is preferable to an orphanage (assuming that was the other option). Parents of any ethnicity can love, nurture, and care for their child. I do think, though, that they need to be sensitive to the child's feelings about his/her ethnicity. The child should be given a chance to explore that culture if he/she feels drawn to it. Our culture places a lot of importance on ethnic identity. Feeling "different" from the society at large is difficult, and it would be even harder if you felt "different" from your family as well. Such things are, of course, a part of life and emerging identity that all people go through, but I think parents should be especially sensitive if their child is of a different ethnicity.

[Anonymous]

I'm not really sure where to place this posting but am obediently not opening another thread, so here it goes. . .
Our school was fortunate to host 16 students from Japan this past week. It was a short trip. The students arrived and met their hosts on Friday night. They spent the weekend with them, went through school with them on Tuesday, and then bid them farewell. This was the 6th year that our school has hosted students from this same community, but each year I am struck by the same thing. Four and a half days can change people's lives. These students enter their hosts' homes anxious and nervous. On Tuesday when they return to school, the U.S. host is "translating" for their Japanese guest (Japanese English to U.S. English), and tears are shed by students and hosting parents as the kids board the bus to leave. These connections continue, and the good feelings that guests and hosts have for each other often expand to include the entire country of exchange. At these small levels, will we help to build bridges between countries and cultures.

[Anonymous]

http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=37992

So in light of the recent shockingly painless capitulation of U.S. internet companies (go google!) , I found it interesting that they're having the same debates in Asia. It just goes to show how the internet really is making this a smaller world. Now governmental abuses of citizens' privacy are available worldwide!

Seriously, though, we tend to think that in America we enjoy more freedoms than Asian nations but what struck me about this article was that Hong Kong's high court ordered ISPs to give up personal information about only 22 people, all of whom they had evidence had been committing crimes. (I mean, if you consider sharing a crime.) Microsoft, AOL, and Yahoo were happy to hand over information about millions (billions, even!) of Americans just in case any of them had committed a crime.

Obviously I think this is a major issue for the world at large, but I also think our middle (and high) schoolers could participate in this debate. Is the risk of copyright violation sufficient to give up our right to privacy? Or is it just making sure the corporate bigwigs make a few more dollars off us? How would you feel if something you created was freely shared throughout the world?

[Anonymous]

I finally read the article on the UCLAsia website taht probably started this thread dscussion about chinese child adoption. the article referred to a chinese dance group that reaches out to such children to give them exposure to their culture but more importantly to adult role models that look like them.

As a hapa, I think I was lucky as a man to have a Japanese American father to look up to. even though we didn't live in a JA community and there were no Asian Am male role models on TV growing up, I had one (pops).

And even though my parents always tried to teach me that race didn't and doesn't matter and all that, as you grow up, you know it does. Growing up, I was involved in zero JA community activities or groups. In fact, I rarely sought them out because the influence of my folks was so strong. I thought that joining JA clubs was like hanging out with people because of the color of their skin (and to some degree, I still do think that about social clubs). But about three years ago, I was invited to play for a JA baseball team: the San Fernando Aces. I hadn't played real baseball since high school and nearly turned it down, but now I'm field managing and playing shortstop for the team. This was the first JA activity/club that I had ever been involved with in my life and that took some getting used to. But now I have totally bought in to it. t he team has been around since the 30's and was the main team of the Manzanar internment camp so it has a deep history. in fact you can see an Aces jersey at Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame. so I feel connected to a tradition I had no idea existed four years ago.

Also, there's something different about the racial experience in terms of interpersonal interaction that i had never really experienced. The best example I can think of is when there's a fight or argument between players. Baseball games can get heated as you know and I guess in other arguments or fights I've been involved in before, there's was always a concern or maybe even a paranoia about there being a racial element. I think most minorities can relate to what I'm talking about. sometimes you may suspect that race is an issue and sometimes you'll never be sure. but in this league, it's not because most everyone is JA or Asian American. we have a couple whites and a chicano on our team too but the point is that there's not that unknown there. there's not that minority experience which i think you just get used to because it's always there. there's a comfort not easily afforded in most other circumstances.

so back to the article from the UCLA site . . . i think it is so awesome for those adults to offer something like this to the kids. i wish i had participated in this league since childhood because it is special and different.

and if anyone wants to inquire about our league, post a reply. i'll hook you up with a team.

dan

[Anonymous]

I was at a conference last week, and two separate aspects of China came up. First, in the USA Today newspaper, 1.26.06, on the cover was one of their snapshots. It said the number of children in China studying English is 200 million. Number of children in the USA studying Chinese is 24,000; quite a difference.

The second topic, quite eye opening was what one of the presenters said. He was talking about the value of education, and that in the US, the model for higher educatioin is that between 15-20% of the population will have a college degree. So for the US, at 15%, gives us around 44,705,124 people with a college degree, based on a population of 298,034,209 (figured obtained from the US Census Dept).
The presenter said that China uses a similar model for their schools. wanting the same percentage to be educated. If the figures are correct, China has a college grad population of around 195,947,070, based on a total population of 1,306,313,800 (figures from Encarta). So it appears that China's educated population is close to our total population. The presenter also said things that Clay said to us, that our kids are no longer competing against each other for jobs, but we are now competing against the world for jobs.

These figures raised a lively discussion with my students, and on the value of an education.

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