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Watching, Helping and Learning from China

Submitted on 6 October 2004 by Debbie Steensland, City of Salem, Salem, OR USA
I recently returned from six months in China, studying Mandarin at a local university.

I would caution you to not take anything you find in China at face value. The highly complex issue of "face" is just one factor that colors the reality of a person's behavior, at least when viewed with traditional Western eyes. The idea of "you wash my back, I'll wash yours" is a crude parallel to their practice of "guanxi", which is often expressed very subtly.

• At the college I attended, I spoke with several Chinese students who volunteered for specific events or for a summer's activity. Their motivation was the same: career advancement. Just as in America, it was likely that the service would look good on their resumes.
• Many, many people volunteer at Buddhist temples because of their religious belief that it earns them merit for a more pleasant reincarnation.
• Regular citizens told me they volunteered because they wanted to advance in their company. These were the same people who smoked cigarettes and studied English (even when there was absolutely no contact with foreigners in their positions) as a way to fit in and look good to their employers.

All of these reasons point to self-centered motivation for other-centered activity, which is certainly intriguing. When I take into account that fear of the government is still very real in the people's everyday lives, I wonder whether volunteering would have much expression in China, if the people were left to their own decision.

Having said that, I would also add that your four points to ponder about the ideas and attitudes the Chinese may be inculcating into their society through volunteering are very perceptive. For example, the Chinese value of a person caring for an elderly family member is an ancient one and still very much respected and practiced. The belief that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few (so to speak) is, I would venture to say, so deeply held by the Chinese as to be an unconscious motivation.

I guess my point is the same one that you alluded to in your article--because the culture of China is vastly different from Western cultures, their methods are not easily transferable to other cultures, if it is even possible at all. China presents an intriguing arena to study volunteering (among other things), but, without an insider's view on the cultural impact, I question whether conclusions drawn from such a study would be valid outside that arena.

I would also echo your sentiment about my observations--I was in a foreign country for a relatively short time, and spent most of that time seeing very little of a large country. It's certainly likely that this limited exposure colors my comments.

Submitted on 5 October 2004 by Betty Stallings, Stallings and Associates, President, Pleasanton, CA USA

Indeed, this trip to China and Tibet was an incredible experience. Thanks, Susan, for your keen insights on our observations of volunteerism in China.

I, too, have been reading in our newspapers about the huge activist response to the serious problem of pollution in China. (see Susan's response) An outspoken government official (unique in itself) has basically pushed for grassroots activism and has helped organize 174 volunteer student groups at universities throughout China. Government official Pan Yue has said that "public activism and new government policies are essential for China's future. There is not a third road available in China."

The University of Beijing pays all expenses for folks to teach for a week there. It seems that those who specialize in volunteer grassroots activism could be helpful in providing dialog, insights and thoughtful reflection to China's significant endeavor.

Addition submitted on 2 October 2004 by Susan...

After writing this essay, our Webmaster Kristin sent me a link to a fascinating (though disturbing) article titled "China's Environmental Catastrophe," by Joshua Kurlantzick.  He wrote it for The Washington Post, but it appears online on the Web site of the Register-Guard of Eugene, Oregon at http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/09/26/b1.ed.col.china.0926.html. 

After detailing the Chinese pollution crisis, Kurlantzick offers the ray of hope that the situation has gotten so bad it is encouraging rare political protests – and may end up creating a new Chinese Green movement.  Yet another volunteer trend to watch.

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