Concept change of foreign teachers before and after coming to China

Many foreign teachers in China told me that after living here for some time, China left them with the totally opposite impression before they came to China. Let’s take a look at the differences in views of China before and after foreign teachers coming to China.

Before some foreign teachers came to China, their thoughts had been stuck before the reform and opening up, even though they knew that China had hosted such international events as the Olympics and Marathon. However,in their conception, the living standards of Chinese people are similar to those of North Korea. There are no high-rise buildings in the city, and people can only solve the problem of food and clothing. Many teachers are asking if there is western toilet in the apartment. However, it was not until they came to China that they realized how modernized modern China is. China has more tall buildings than their home countries. Another thing that impressed them is that China’s modernization level is far more mature than they thought. So when they really step into the land of China, they will discover how fast China is developing.

Another interesting phenomenon is that when you look for a foreigner who has never been to China on a foreign street and ask them what they think of Chinese, they will say that they are very strong, because  Chinese are good at kung fu. Under the influence of Chinese kung fu stars such as Bruce Lee and the lack of understanding of China, many foreign teachers believe that Chinese people are working hard and they are very powerful. In fact, they later discovered in table tennis competitions that they have been cheated. Chinese table tennis skills and popularity are far more powerful than kung fu. Of course, they have always had a very objective and clear understanding of Chinese football. Because I remembered when I went to college, I asked a foreign teacher about Chinese football. They didn’t have a compliment. They said directly“Terrible”. Foreigners felt that only you face directly at these shortcomings , then you can find out which direction to work hard to improve and there is a possibility of getting better. At this point, it is indeed worth learning.

With the rapid development of China in recent years, foreign teachers have changed their old impressions of poverty and backwardness in the past, but their understanding of the living standards of Chinese people is limited to foreign media reports. But until they come to China, they discovered that some Chinese people are really rich. Some schools can easily offer 20000-30000RMB salary. That is also an important factor that attracts them to teach in China. They knew that China was developing rapidly, but did not expect that development would be so fast.

Another point is that due to the influence of Western culture, foreigners have some negative understanding of the dragon totem. In Western culture, the dragon is a very evil animal, so foreigners have no good feelings for the dragon. Chinese, as a descendant of the dragon, are naturally hated or at least not friendly treated by foreigners. However, until China’s reform and opening up, more and more foreign teachers came to China. They begin to understand China and Chinese culture. As a result, hostility to China is becoming less and less. With deep understanding, foreign teachers have discovered Chinese people are very warm and friendly, especially in the north part of China. Many people want to teach in the north for this reason. They have long been unilaterally and negatively reported by some Western media. The Chinese people’s hospitality and tolerance have made the foreign teachers’ impression of the Chinese people completely changed.