Chinese citizens’ opinions of the US varies dramatically based on their education, age, and international experience. In general, I noticed younger Chinese individuals (middle school) tend to hold exaggerated ideas of how lax or lazy American students are, most likely because of how grueling their own education system is. Chinese middle school students seem to think American students don’t have much (or any) homework, and so they can spend their days relaxing, working, or pursuing extracurricular. Compared to their own workload, they aren’t far from the truth. These students don’t necessarily view American students as lazy, just the beneficiaries of a more forgiving and accommodating school schedule.
College educated Chinese citizens have a more informed and appreciate attitude towards American education, especially regarding how American students apply for college. In China, one’s college admittance is essentially entirely dependent on one standardized test, called the “High Test”. This test is only given once a year, spans multiple days, and is considered the most important event in every student’s life. Needless to say, the pressure of this test is difficult to handle, so Chinese students seem to prefer the holistic college admissions approach of the US.
Adult Chinese citizens have the most varied opinions of the US; those who have never gone to the US or follow Chinese media closely have many criticisms of the US, but also points of praise. The most common criticism is of how ineffectual or political system is, as well as how dangerous our permissiveness of weapons is. However, they respect and envy the political freedom US citizens enjoy, as well as our right to openly and harshly criticize our own government. This is most likely because the Chinese government does not permit open criticism; from the Chinese adults I spoke to, it seems though citizens are allowed to make suggestions for improvement and correction, but they cannot openly protest their government or endeavor for political reform.