China, U.S.and Me

By+Corrie+Dosh

What will the world look like in 2020？ According to many international relations observers， in four years time， China will be worlds leading economy， pioneering green energy policies and launching space missions to Mars， while its central government wields a “soft power” approach to governance. Its a vision that older generations may find difficult to imagine， in the wake of years of global conflict and recession. For university students， however， the idea of a prosperous China， culturally and economically balanced with the United States， is easier to believe.

Ten students， three from universities in China and seven enrolled at U.S. institutions， met in October at New York University （NYU） at the invitation of China Radio International（CRI） to share their perspectives on China. The CRI launched a series， From University to the World， in 2011. The latest event in the series —2020， China， the U.S.， You and Me—was the first of its kind to take place outside China. The forum was moderated by New York radio anchor Lee Harris and He Yang， the host of Roundtable， a popular Englishlanguage talk show in China.

Citizens of the world

“Its all about the young generation，” said Franklin Zeng， who raps at local New York clubs while attending NYU. The songwriter and keyboardist has made a name for himself with a series of Cantonese-oriented cultural events and performances broadcast on Guangdong Radio and TV. Zeng and his girlfriend Christy Peng had wrapped up a tour of the Chinese mainland， performing songs in both Mandarin and English.

For Zeng， who was born in Guangzhou and emigrated to the United States， the two cultures are inexorably linked. He sees fans of American hip-hop in China and enthusiasts of Chinese culture among Americans. An estimated 1 million American students will be studying Mandarin in China by the year 2020. His generation is global and connected through popular music and entertainment.

“The key is mutual respect，” Zeng said.“Competition is normal， but the mutual benefits far outweigh hostilities. U.S. popular culture penetrates into modern life. Its a healthy relationship.”

Though he describes himself as optimistic， Zeng said he is acutely aware of how many Chinese workers have yet to feel the benefits of modern development. While Chinas economy may surpass that of the United States in terms of size in the not too distant future， the standard of living enjoyed by the average person in the United States may still remain out of reach for average Chinese.

Yin Danqing， a student of education policy at University of Pennsylvania， agreed with Zeng， saying that the relationship between China and the United States will be “more complex and more interesting” as her generation matures. She sees a greater willingness to seek common ground and to be diplomatic among young Chinese and Americans on social media—though she said Chinese students are more likely to be conciliatory than their American counterparts.

Other participants also mentioned the influence of U.S. pop culture， which has significantly influenced younger generations in China.

“Many people in many countries grew up listening to American pop music and watching Hollywood movies， because America is currently the only superpower of the world. Its global presence is dominant and its cultural influence is prevalent，” said Zhou Dingyi， a third-year graduate student at Shanghai International Studies University， who won a place in the forum courtesy of the 100，000 votes by Chinese students he drew in an online contest.

Zhou said he sees students on both sides idealizing life on the other side of the Pacific. He told the story of a young American student who came to Hangzhou after studying Chinese for two years in search of a Prince Charming and a way of life she had only read about. Many Chinese students， meanwhile， dream of going to North America and living the kind of life they see portrayed on television and in movies.

Harmony without conformity

The idea of a “bilateral relationship” is out of date， the panelists said， as the two cultures now overlap to an extent in some ways. Neither culture is exclusive. American students， however， are just beginning to break out of their bubble.

Chen Yiqi， a law student at North China University of Technology， dreamed for years of going to New York as she listened to U.S. pop stars like Alicia Keys and Jay-Z. When she arrived， she found local students knew very little about Chinese culture.

“I cannot predict economics， but cultural and language exchanges will increase，” Chen said. “Chinese students know a lot about America， but American students are just starting to learn about China.”

Tang Tianyi， enrolled at Beijing Foreign Studies University， agreed， saying she had been asked questions such as whether McDonalds existed in China. As a matter of fact， the American fast-food giant just opened its 2，000th shop in China on July 15.

A CRI survey of 500 Chinese and 350 American college students showed that 66 percent of Chinese respondents believe that the China-U.S. relationship is the most important diplomatic relationship of the future， compared with just 36 percent of U.S. participants. Most American students named U.S.-Europe relations as the most important bilateral ties in the world.

So far， American students have had the“l(fā)uxury” of living in a world that largely revolves around their culture， said Nasrin Jafari， who is studying education at NYU. “English has become a global language， and Chinese students are taught it from an early age. American students have a global advantage.”

“The biggest change by 2020 will be that Americans will know more about the real China，” said Matthew Gibson， who is studying globalization and Mandarin at NYU， adding that he learned much about China and met future leaders while studying in Shanghai.

With the rise of China， more American students are learning Mandarin with their Chinese counterparts to communicate more effectively. Christina Perry， a student of international health policy and linguistics at NYU， speaks five languages， including Mandarin.

“As one of the younger panelists， I can...[attest] to the rising number of Chinesespeaking American students. As the bilateral relationship increases， more people will feel compelled to speak Chinese. I wanted to understand the culture，” Perry said.

Many of the panelists spoke optimistically about the future of the China-U.S. relationship. Michael Yang， an ethnic Chinese NYU chemistry student born in Colorado， said relations may be strained in the coming years as an empowered China finds its place in global politics， but the future is promising.

Room for growth

“I dont feel that China-U.S. relations are as good as they can be，” Yang said.

All agreed， however， that the answers to avoiding conflict lie in frequent and equal communication. According to the CRI study， only 33.5 percent of American students say they have learned about Chinese culture in their own country， leaving some 66.5 percent who say they have “never” been exposed to Chinese culture.

Chinese students， meanwhile， make up the largest population of foreign students in the United States， with over 300，000 enrolled in U.S. colleges. Almost one in three foreign students in the United States originates from China. The U.S. State Department has set a goal of sending 100，000 U.S. students to study in China.

“I think this theme could not be more appropriate， more timely to discuss，” said Zhang Meifang， Chinese Deputy Consul General in New York， in her welcome address at the panel discussion.

“As we know， the world is moving toward globalization， we are moving toward a global village， there are about 200 countries and regions and 2，500 nationalities and different religions，” she continued.

Countries with different social backgrounds and different values should seek cooperation with mutual respect， Zhang said.

“Right now， China and the United States enjoy a very stable and sound bilateral relationship. Im sure that... [this] event will continue to play a big role in promotion of mutual understanding between the young people of the two [nations] universities，” she added.