Tourist/Traveler

As I continue my attempt to discover and understand this vast place, I am becoming increasingly aware of my own ideas and misconceptions I brought with me to China. China, more than most countries, is a place that we are taught to perceive a certain way. We are taught that China is a communist place, and communism is bad. We are taught about the one-child policy, human rights, and Mao Zedong...but not much more. I fear that many of our preconceptions are hastily formed on facts we know little about. Since I have been here I China, I have been incredibly humbled by the amount of things I don't know. I feel like the more I learn and grow, the more I realize that I know nothing at all.

"A tourist sees what he came to see; a traveler sees what there is to see."
This quote by G.K. Chesterton has become somewhat of a motto for me on this trip. It seems like the natural process of going to another culture can easily slip into the "tourist" trap. My professor has defined tourists as, "People who come to a place, laugh at things that are weird and different, take pictures, point and stare, buy things, and then go home." A traveler on the other hand, is an intentional crosser of cultures; somehow who humbles himself to learn and grow from his experience in the culture and with the local people. These are very different types of people--one requires nothing but a passport--the other requires patience, understanding, and much effort. I have been trying to be an intentional traveler. This is not an easy feat and I have not been totally successful, but I realize I am hear to learn and penetrate the culture, not gawk and laugh from the safety of my expatriate bubble. The world is a big place, and we are but one fish in this pond. It is refreshing and necessary to hear how local Chinese interpret the world. So, in the spirit of this discussion, I have included some quotes from Chinese that I think reveal interesting things about the Chinese people/nation:

"We want to be the force of the world--similar or equal to the Tang dynasty."

"I believe that Mao was a strong man--not a good man."

"When Americans think terrorism they Muslims threatening American security, when Chinese hear this, they think of America threatening the world's security."

"Please don't judge us by American standards, CHINA is CHINA."

"America is nothing but a baby country--very young."

"It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as that cat can hunt."
-Deng Xiaoping (former leader of China during the 70's economic reforms)

These are just some quotes that stuck out to me--windows into the Chinese mind if I may. I must end this post with another great quote not about China...but about travel itself:

The born traveler--the man who is without prejudices, who sets out wanting to learn rather than to criticize, who is stimulated by oddity, who recognizes that every man is his brother, however strange and ludicrous he may be in dress and appearance--has always been comparatively rare.
--Hugh Massingham