One afternoon, as I was browsing through one of the many stores at Beijing’s Pearl Market, I saw two English-speaking natives walk into the store and comment on how they liked the variety of sports jerseys and athlete names that were hung up on the wall. As the store clerk walked up to these two gentleman, she intervened in their conversation by commenting on the quality of her products: “these are best that you will find, feel the material!” To my surprise, and even more to the store clerk, the two men used, what seemed to be fluent, Chinese to not only ask about the price for the hockey jersey, but also if she had certain sizes and teams. After they purchased some of the clerk’s products, I asked if they would answer a couple questions about living in China, and they agreed.
The two men granted me an interview that not only touched upon the distinct difference between being a minority in a rural and urban city in China, but also on their experience with the natives; an attitude that they believe should be adopted by Americans when they come across foreigners. They both agreed that the overall environment when it comes to the Chinese interacting with foreigners is a pleasant one. They both feel accepted into the community as minorities, and, they even feel even more appreciated when the natives learn that their Chinese is fluent. The only distinguishing factor between the relationship between two natives and that of a native and a foreigner is that the Chinese natives are in awe when they see a foreigner; this is especially true in rural areas where the people of those areas rarely—described by my Chinese teacher as once in 4 or 5 years—see foreigners. These specific encounters make them feel special.
I’d say I have to agree with them, because, during my time in the city of Xian, I also came across similar situations in which the natives enjoyed asking me questions about a life completely different than the ones they lived. Throughout my time here in China, I can strongly say that the Chinese have shown nothing but respect for me and my culture.