ISSN 1392-0561. INFORMACIJOS MOKSLAI. 2008 45

Chinese changing identities in globalised world

Robert Paul Smith (Xu, Ke Shu) Foreign Language Dep. Quzhou College Jiuhualu Str. 78, Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province People’s Republic of Ph. 0086-570-869 24 19, Mob. Ph. 0086-135 114 00 648 E-mail: [email protected]

The cultural map is changing in the globalised world. The quickly developing economy changes the iden- tities of Chinese quietly. Typically, the young is more individualistic, the traditional kinship weakens, and the ideology on love, sex and marriage changes. Because of Chinese birth control policy, the children and young people who grow up as the only child in her or his family respect individualism more than collectivism influenced by movies of Hollywood and Western TV soap plays. What they think most is in terms of “I”, not “you” or “they”. Kinship in China is now much weaker in Mainland China than it was in the past. In fact, there are many empty-nest families, in which children have left home to seek success in metropolis in China and cities in Foreign Countries, and their old, sick parents are suffering in loneliness. In the Chinese countryside, a lot of young couples refuse to support their old parents. Some old parents are even driven out and suffer from hunger. Now in China, DINK marriages and sexless mar- riages are common in the cities. More than 400,000 Chinese people have married foreigners till 2006. In 2005, more than 70,000 Japanese men and 41,000 Korean men have married Chinese women. Rich men change girlfriends or sex partners frequently. Some even keep special, private houses where their girlfriends live apart from their wives. Thousands of workers, drawn from farms to jobs in the cities, are sexually hungry and visit illegal striptease shows frequently. The new generation of Chinese people does not even value virginity very highly. There are too many quick marriages in China now. This was especial- ly true in the lucky wedding year of 2006. Some married quickly and divorced very soon. Key words: change, identities, individualization, kinship, love

Introduction climate, running-out oil and other natural resources, children and young people’s Seeing from the space, our planet Earth is addiction to computer games, polluti- unique. In the universe, we, human beings are unique. As we know, the advanced on and terrorism attacking. The world is technology in the 21st century has shorte- globalized, which is not controlled by our ned the time of travel from one country will. In the globalization, people on the to another and turned the earth into a glo- earth have developed into two directions; bal village, which was first mentioned by one group is to change, adapt themselves the Canadian scholar Marshall McLuhan. to it and try to live better in it, while the The technology not only does it, but also other group of people is against globaliza- makes human beings to recognize that we tion, refuses to change and even turn into are facing the same challenges: warmer extremist opposition to other cultures. The

122 cultural map is changing in the globalized retreat to the cover of their families and world. rely on their parents. They have become a In the globalization and with the help of NEET generation – which means jobless the Internet, identities are changing quietly youth between 15 and 34. Among them, in many cultures. With the rapidly develo- there is a large group of young people who ping economy, it also happens in Chinese have graduated from college but refuse to culture. What is typical is the individuali- work or accept any job training (it stands zation of young generation, weakening of for Not in Education, Employment, or traditional kinship, and changing ideology Training). on love, sex and marriage. Of course, there are also quite a lot of Research aims: To find changing iden- people who take job-training classes but tities in chinese culture in the globalizati- still cannot find jobs. But they live in luxu- on. ry, and Chinese parents tend to take on the Research objectives: to identify the burden of taking care of them quietly, ac- facts and statistics of new papers and other cording to the Chinese tradition. They are media resources for a reliable data on the called the Strawberry Generation, a term changing identities. coined by a Taiwanese journalist and pop- Research methods: critical or discour- ular in China. Strawberries start out good sive analysis. but go rotten easily1. People of the Strawberry Generation in Individualization Mainland China are headaches for human The new selfish group – resource managers. They quit jobs too easi- the generation of strawberry ly, and they are irresponsible. It is hard for of NEET them to be thoughtful and cooperate with others. They are only about themselves. Because of Chinese birth control policy, The most strawberries have been children and young people respect indivi- brought up in large cities such as Shanghai dualism more than collectivism, influen- and Beijing. There are rarely strawberries ced by movies of Hollywood and Western in small cities, especially in western China TV soap plays. What they think most is in or in the rural area. terms of “I”, not “you” or “they”. But most Americans value individualism and are Serious competition and responsible to society, while a lot of Chi- moving people nese new individualists are irresponsible The development of marketing and the to it. They are strict with others and think bankruptcy of many businesses have for- others should be nice with moral standards ced people to move to new cities for their of society while they allow themselves the jobs. Many retired people follow their sons disrespect these standards. They will fight with others for small interest and give up 1 easily. When facing difficulties, they will http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ar- chives/2005/09/12/2003271331

123 and daughters to the different cities. They Friendship was very stable in the past make new friends in the new cities. It is as a tradition. It was common for people to hard for them to keep the original ties with keep it in their life. But it is now also so- their old friends. Robert Smith’s father-in- mething changing in China. Some people law retired from his job in Wuhan and went can afford cars while their friends cannot. to live with his daughter and son-in-law in If they are accustomed to enjoy tourism Quzhou, Zhejiang Province in China. When by group driving, they should choose new the father-in-law came to the new city, he friends. As enthusiasts people would spend had nobody to gamble with. He happened much longer with their new friends than to meet several elderly and middle-aged their old friends. After some time, the old ladies and gentlemen in a public park whe- friends will be distant. Something similar re they unusually get together to sing and happens with fans of horseback riding, ar- dance because of his singing. They soon chery, skiing, and camping. became good friends. They gather together Some old customs still remain. Many to sing and dance, and they usually have people still do business, handle adminis- parties. The father-in-law is busy with the trative things and settle struggles and qu- activities instead of gambling. He told Ro- arrels according to relationships and not bert that he had almost forgotten his old universal rules. Many people still prefer friends who only knew how to gamble, the company of people or students they and he valued the new friendships much are familiar with to strangers. Yet compe- more. Modernization can also be positive, tition in the society is forcing everyone to as the changes brought about by moder- change if they want their businesses to re- nization previously mentioned have been main profitable or to keep their positions negative ones. in administrative offices. The things that have changed and are changing in Chinese The various choices of society are changing Chinese culture and the information age are being recorded in the history of China The information age has provided people Changes in productivity should cer- with many choices. People, especially tainly cause production relationships to young people, have developed new cul- change. This will certainly change inter- tural tastes. Korean TV shows, Japanese personal relationships and cause society to cartoons, Starbucks, American pop music, change. China is running quickly toward fast food, and computer games provide a new, modernized, informational society. Chinese young people many new forms of Some old culture is going away, and some entertainment. People organize new circles new culture is being produced. That does of friends. It is now popular in Beijing for not mean that the old is bad and the new people to get together organize through the is good. Internet to eat out together. After eating The old customs of kinship and collec- and saying goodbye, they become stran- tivism are losing out to temporary friends- gers again. hips and individualism.

124 Traditional kinship in China A daughter-in-law in a village in Hebei Province cursed her mother-in-law and Kinship was ever the most important part pulled her hair as they walked around the of Chinese culture in Chinese thousands village. Although Chinese identities on kin- of history. Kinship in China is now much weaker in Mainland China than it was in ship are changing among some people, there the past. In fact, there are a lot of empty- are still many who are kind to their parents. nest families in which the children have left home to run after their success in Love, sex and marriage metropolis in China and cities in Foreign Love and marriage in China Countries, and their old, sick parents are suffering in loneliness. In China, love and marriage are celebrated in In many one-child families, the chil- various colourful ways. Some relationships dren are superior to ascending , are traditional, whereas others are different which go against history belief and prac- from traditional norms. Still others follow tice. They ride their grandpas around on the Western style. Some are so modern that the floor. The adult members of the fami- even Westerners would be surprised. First- lies give children nearly everything they time sexual experiences for adolescent girls want. The children usually argue, shout at and boys now occur much earlier than in the their parents, and reject food that is pre- past. In large cities, the average age of the pared for them. girls and boys for first-time sexual experi- In the countryside, some young couples ences is seventeen, according to a survey by spend the savings of their parents on their the Sociology Department of Renmin Uni- marriages or businesses. In the end, they versity of China. refuse to support their parents. In a village The scope of sex has also gone to an ex- in Shanxi Province, an old lady had to live treme. Rich men change girlfriends or sex for fifteen days with the families of each of partners frequently. Some even keep spe- her children according to the report of Pro- cial, private houses where their girlfriends gram: the Morality in Channel 1,CCTV in live apart from their wives. Thousands of 2005. Sometimes, she was even driven out workers, drawn from farms to jobs in the or suffered from hunger. Many parents had cities, are sexually hungry and visit illegal to sue their children in court to have their striptease shows frequently. Many young children support them in their lives. male workers will follow actors and ac- The report of La Agencia EFE, S.A. tresses from one village to another. said on December 9, 2006: “A survey on 10400 old farmers in the countryside who Dink and uncertain plan are more than 60 in 31 provinces in China to have children shows that 45% of the old live separately from their children, 5% face problems of Living in a household with a double inco- food, 69% have no exchange clothes and me and no kids (to be a DINK) is now very 67% cannot afford medicine. common in large cities such as Shanghai

125 and Beijing. The competition among co- lege would certainly be expelled. In 2002 workers in offices and corporations is so and 2003, many Chinese papers and TV fierce that many young women in Shang- including CCTV reported the story of the hai dare not have babies. The traditional, lawsuit of two students and their school – legal, paid leave for pregnancy could cost Chongqing University of Posts and Tele- them their hard-earned jobs. The Social communications. Survey Institute of the Liberation Daily In October 2002, Miss Ma, a student in just reported on Dink on the Liberation the school of the economy and manage- Daily on Nov. 28, 2007: “2.90% of the ment, Chongqing University of Posts and surveyed families have no plans to have Telecommunications, suffered from abdo- children. 7.20% have no such plans pro- minal pain. She called her boyfriend, Mr. visionally. 46.98% will plan it when they Lin, a student in the school of automation are ready.” When will they be ready? God at the same university. They went to the knows. When they were asked: “Which school hospital. A doctor gave her an X- will they choose between a child and their ray, and he thought the cause was anor ec- job?” 18.90% answered: “Job”. Among topic pregnancy, which could be life-thre- the young couples, nobody care about tra- atening. The doctor arranged for her to go ditional Confucius and Mencius’ Modality to a city hospital for further examination. or Chinese Tradition in thousand years: The pregnancy was confirmed. Later, the “Among the three offending behaviours girl and the boy confessed they had gone of filial piety, having no child is worst.” to a hotel and had sexual intercourse once. (Mencius, “Lilou”). They are deciding by At first, the school administration asked themselves only according to their asses- the students to accept the punishment sment of their condition. of the school: they could graduate and get their graduation certificates, but they No-sex marriages and homosexuality would lose their rights to their bachelor’s degrees. The students refused to accept the No-sex marriages, arranged through the punishment. They argued that the regula- Internet, are growing. Homosexuality is tion said students who had “unacceptable something many parents have to face. Ho- relations” should be punished. (The termi- mosexuality is so much against Chinese nology “unacceptable relations” is com- tradition that many parents of homosexual mon in the regulations of schools in China. boys are eager to kill them. According to It means any sex actions among girls and the authorities, there are five to ten million boys or adults who do not marry.) They lo- homosexuals in China. ved each other, and they did it by choice. The marriage lawsuit The relationship, therefore, was righteous of two college students and acceptable. For this defiant attitude, the school bo- For a long time, a student who got mar- ard decided to expel them. The students ried while enrolled in a university or col- sued the school to reverse the decision.

126 Although they lost the suit and the court happens once every hundred years. Young rejected it, the suit was widely reported couples hurried to arrange weddings on by TV programs, magazines, and newspa- these lucky dates. Some of them had only pers. It caused a fierce public argument. In known each other for two days, but they 2005, the Education Ministry of the PRC rushed to get married. These quick marria- issued the new version of its Regulations ges usually produce sad results. on the Students of Common Institutes, Each Chinese couple, the bride and bri- which went into effect on September 1 of degroom, plan their most exciting time – the same year. The article expelling stu- their wedding. All want their special days dents who married was eliminated. This to be perfect. Cartoon stars, elephants, and was a progress of civilization. There are other special wedding guests are invited. still few students who marry in college, Cartoon stars are acted by professional though, because few can afford the costs actors or actress or by their friends. Some of a wedding, an apartment, and children. bridegrooms really paid and arranged for elephants decorated with flowers to be pre- Weddings sented for the wedding to give a surprise to the bride. Brides were usually very excited For Chinese people, the timing of the because they had not expected it and it is wedding is very important. They believe not common in Chinese wedding. Chinese a nice wedding date will ensure happy couples want something unique if the two days. Even-numbered years, even-numbe- are both Chinese. But the most want a ty- red months, and even-numbered days are pical traditional Chinese wedding, if one regarded as lucky. In 2006, according to of the couple is a foreigner. The traditional the Chinese lunar calendar, spring started Chinese wedding is as following: twice (Chinese lunar calendar marks clear- A Bridegroom should go to his bride’s ly the spring start date. Because the lunar home to bring her back with a wedding se- calendars are not exact, days are added to dan. The bride in a red wedding dress has the calendar year. Because the days are ad- her head covered with a piece of red silk ded to the calendar, there are two spring or cloth, through which she cannot see. In starting date and two July 7 which is Chi- some provinces of China, her mother will nese Valentine date.) And there were three have her hand in hand and help her get on Valentine’s Days in 2006: one Western Va- the sedan. In some provinces of China, it lentine Day and two Chinese similar days is the bridegroom who carries his bride to for boys and girls who are in love. The the sedan on his shoulder or in his arms. Western one is for St. Valentine on Feb. 14, The sedan men will try their best to rock while the other two are for different pairs the sedan for a fun. Only the bridegroom of Chinese lovers which are on July 7th. can take away the red head cover. The time There were two July 7th in the Chinese lu- to do it should be the sweet wedding night nar year of 2006 because it was a leap lunar when they will have a very special experi- year and there were also leap months. This ence for the next generation.

127 Wedding planning companies and pro- cost, which means most families save mo- fessional wedding hostesses and hosts do ney. a very good business on mainland China, Family violence and the henpecked hus- especially in big cities such as Beijing, band Shanghai, and Tianjing. Many young cou- Married people live much differently in ples even enjoy having their nude pictures northern and southern China. In northern taken by a photographer in a professional China, especially in the countryside, fa- photo studio; however, their parents are mily violence is still a problem. A recent usually against such photographs. The solu- national survey showed that there is fa- tion is to take two sets of wedding pictures: mily violence, usually physical or verbal one set in formal wedding clothes for their abuse of females, in one third of the 270 parents, relatives, and friends to see, and million families. Victims are women, and another set of nude pictures for the couple’s most of them do not know how to protect enjoyment. Authorities advise caution, be- themselves. They are too shy to talk about cause some photographers who lack mora- violence, and they think it is a personal lity may put their pictures on the Internet. matter. The divorce rate in China has been But they disregard it and laugh at it. increasing in the last two or three years. In Weddings are very expensive in China, Shanghai, a society for divorced people is particularly in years with many lucky days. very active. It tries to help abused women Costs are also increasing very quickly The recover their confidence. year of chicken in 2005 and the year of pig However, two-thirds of the families in 2007 are thought to be bad luck becau- are special in the world. Most of them are se there is no first day of spring in these families with women as financial control- years according to the Chinese lunar ca- lers and heads of the family. In the fami- lendar. The average cost for each couple lies, husbands do more housework. This is in Mainland China is as much as 125,800 common in cities, especially in metropoli- yuan, which is over US$16,000. In Shang- ses such as Shanghai and Beijing. Chinese hai, a wedding will cost couples average husbands are ready to do housework, such 187,000 yuan, or about US$23,400. The as washing, taking care of babies, grocery Wedding Society of Shanghai surveyed shopping, and cooking. The husbands in and reported that the cost for a wedding Shanghai are the role models in China. In should be 192,000 yuan RVB, which is offices and other places, it is common for equal to 2,448,355 yuan RMB. In August a typical male Shanghainese to talk about 2006 the New York Times reported that the the markets where vegetables, fish, and average U.S. wedding costs $27,852. As meat are cheapest. If you watch carefully, we know, the price of various products it is easy to find Chinese boyfriends or hus- and services is much cheaper in China bands washing underclothing of their girlf- than in the United States, so we can see riends or wives or doing other things for the degree of luxury for a wedding in Chi- their girlfriends or wives. What is most im- na. The couple and their parents share the portant is that women are controlling the fa-

128 mily budget, including the man’s spending gners. In 2005, more than 70,000 Japanese money. A Chinese woman’s consciousness men married Chinese women, and 41,000 of equal rights is much stronger than most Korean men married Chinese ladies. After Westerners expect. Most ladies, especially their weddings, many girls found that mar- among educated people, can expect a hap- riage was not as romantic as they thought py life if they marry a Chinese man. it would be. Ms. Li Qing married a Korean farmer. Divorce Before they married, her husband’s rela- tives asked her questions like, “Are there On the first working day after a seven-day automobiles and color TVs in China?” holiday in October 2006, sixty couples got They forbade her to work. Chinese girls divorced in Nanjing City, the capital of Ji- have been brought up to value the notion angsu Province. Forty percent of the peo- of equal rights. She could not put up with ple who got divorced were born at the end the life of a housewife in Korea. In the end, of the 1970s. They are the only children of Li Qing chose to divorce. their families. So, these young couples did not learn to forgive and yield. They usually Conclusion quickly decided that they could not put up with each other. Although the proportion Identities of individuals in each ethnic of marriage to divorce in 2006 was 4.22:1 group are changing. Culture is changing because it was the luckiest year in one with the development of the world. Culture hundred years, the Chinese divorce rate consists of three parts. The first part is old- had been increasing. In 2003, it increased fashioned custom, which cannot fit in with 36.7 percent, and in 2004, it jumped 73.6 modern civilization. The second part is the percent. It then increased only 12.6 percent neutral part of culture as ceremonies, food in 2005. In May of 2006, people have fol- and drink customs and religious beliefs. lowed their emotions in marriage, but they They are the nature of colour. There is no made rational decisions to divorce. Divor- world without them. The third part is con- ce clubs are now welcome in Shanghai and nected with a special mode of production, Beijing to help many people learn to forget and when its destiny is to disappear, no- their sad experiences and start new lives. body can stop this despite any witch treat- ment used on the patient. But the point is Foreign Marriage that it is time for the international scholars In Chinese history, marriage policy was of the intercultural communication to work usually one of the important kingdom- together to draw a dynamic cultural map wide policies of the emperor. Countless and keep it update the same as the genetic princesses went on trips to marry foreign map. The map will keep people updated men in the name of devotion to the mot- with the latest cultural information. It will herland. Now, the foreign marriage pro- be much easier for international communi- portion has reached 5 percent. More than cation, business and education which are 400,000 Chinese people married forei- rather important in the 21st century.

129 References 1. CHOU, Jenny. Experts: Strawberry Genera- chives/2005/09/12/2003271331>. tion is just a myth, statistics say. Monday, Sep 12, 2. Liberation Daily on Nov. 28, 2007. 2005. <������������������������������������������http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ar-

Kintanti kinų tapatybė Globalėjančiame pasaulyje Robert Paul Smith (Xu, Ke Shu) Santrauka

Visuotiniame pasaulyje kinta kultūrinis žemėlapis. Dažniau jie galvoja apie save nei apie Jus ar Juos. Greita ekonomikos plėtra skatina kinų kultūros poky- Giminystės ryšiai Kinijoje taip pat silpni, todėl čius. Jaunimui būdingas individualumas, silpni gimi- šiame darbe daroma prielaida, kad būtent dėl tokių nystės ryšiai, meilės, sekso ir vedybų politikos poky- priežasčių 2006 m. labai padaugėjo santuokų su už- čiai. Dėl gimimų skaičiaus ribojimo Kinijoje vaikai ir sieniečiais. Taip pat tai atsiliepia ir vertinant požiūrį jaunimas labiau linkę būti individualistai nei kolekty- į partnerį. Kaip teigia pranešimo autorius, tai turi įta- viški, tai skatinama ir per filmus ar televizijos serialus. kos ir santuokai, seksualiniams santykiams.

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