126: David Yen - Professional - Race, Color, Gender

China, Xian

Chinese society is very conservative. Speaking candidly, I think Chinese are a little prejudiced. Of course, my definition of prejudice is pretty broad. I think the definition of prejudice is having a different view of any event or situation, or any cultural object. So all these different views create a kind of discrepancy, create a kind of different impression. Like, the people of Bei- Beijing have always looked down on those from Shanghai. Beijing people [think of themselves] as sitting at the emperor’s feet. They work in government institutions, so they [feel they] best understand China’s future. Shanghainese, on the one hand because the economy and business are so dominant, they can’t help but be more utilitarian. So, on the one hand, the North and the South have this really big difference. Then, if you go down to Guangdong, if you can’t speak Cantonese, or go to Shanghai and can’t speak Shanghainese, you’ll feel something a little different [in how people treat you], you won’t enjoy the same advantages. Chinese people, on the one hand, it’s a purely agrarian society, so the values system gives greater weight to men. Of course, because of the recent gradual Western influence, the status of women has gradually risen. But it’s undeniable [that] suppose they want to have a child, they’ll still think, um, “I hope I can have another boy.” That’s because having a boy is thought to be how you continue the family line. It doesn’t matter whether this kind of idea is right or wrong, they generally still have a little tiny difference [in their view] on gender. But I have to admit that over the last couple of decades, they’ve, this kind of attitude has become much less prevalent. As for skin color, Chinese people in general, they have different views of [different] skin colors. So, from this perspective, if you’re doing business, you ought to know something about Chinese people’s ideas and responses to these things.

中国人是一个非常保守的社会。坦白来讲呢，我认为中国人是有点这个歧视的。当然我对歧视的定义啦是比较广。我认为歧视的定义啦是对说任何事情，任何文物啦，有点不同的见解。所以才对于各种不同见解所产生一种差异，所产生一种不同的影响。象北北京人一向呢就看不起上海人。因为北京人呢认为在天子脚下，他在政府的机关，所以他们是最懂得这个有关中国的前途。上海人呢，一方面呢他们是因为经济商业很强盛，他们呢就未免比较是功利主义。所以一方面呢，在这个北方跟南方啦是有相当不同的这个。下面到广东去，你只要不会讲广东话，到上海去你不会讲上海话的话，你是会有些不同的这个感觉，不同的利益。中国人啦，一方面是纯农业社会，所以他对男性的价值观呢是比较重视的。当然最近因为西风渐长，然后啦对于女性的这个地位啦也逐渐的提高。但是无可否认的啦，假如要生小孩的时候啦，他们还是想到，啊，我希望能够再生一个男孩，因为生一个男孩啦是一种传宗接代的观念。这种观念不管是对是错，他们对性别上呢一般来讲还是有一点这个稍稍的不同。不过我也要承认因为最近几十年来呢他们这种情形的观感呢已经差了很多。对于肤色啦，中国人一般来讲啦，对于肤色啦，他们也有一些不同的看法。所以啦，就这个角度来讲，假如你进行商业活动的时候啦，你应该知道中国人对这些事情的一些观感跟概念。

中國人是一個非常保守的社會。坦白來講呢，我認為中國人是有點這個歧視的。當然我對歧視的定義啦是比較廣。我認為歧視的定義啦是對說任何事情，任何文物啦，有點不同的見解。所以才對於各種不同見解所產生一種差異，所產生一種不同的影響。象北北京人一向呢就看不起上海人。因為北京人呢認為在天子腳下，他在政府的機關，所以他們是最懂得這個有關中國的前途。上海人呢，一方面呢他們是因為經濟商業很強盛，他們呢就未免比較是功利主義。所以一方面呢，在這個北方跟南方啦是有相當不同的這個。下面到廣東去，你只要不會講廣東話，到上海去你不會講上海話的話，你是會有些不同的這個感覺，不同的利益。中國人啦，一方面是純農業社會，所以他對男性的價值觀呢是比較重視的。當然最近因為西風漸長，然後啦對於女性的這個地位啦也逐漸的提高。但是無可否認的啦，假如要生小孩的時候啦，他們還是想到，啊，我希望能夠再生一個男孩，因為生一個男孩啦是一種傳宗接代的觀念。這種觀念不管是對是錯，他們對性別上呢一般來講還是有一點這個稍稍的不同。不過我也要承認因為最近幾十年來呢他們這種情形的觀感呢已經差了很多。對於膚色啦，中國人一般來講啦，對於膚色啦，他們也有一些不同的看法。所以啦，就這個角度來講，假如你進行商業活動的時候啦，你應該知道中國人對這些事情的一些觀感跟概念。

Zhōngguórén shì yīgè fēicháng bǎoshǒu de shèhuì。Tǎnbái láijiǎng ne，wǒ rènwéi zhōngguórén shì yǒudiǎn zhègè qíshì de。 Dāngrán wǒ duì qíshì de dìngyì la shì bǐjiào guǎng。Wǒ rènwéi qíshì de dìngyì la shì duì shuō rènhé shìqíng，rènhé wénwù la，yǒudiǎn bùtóng de jiànjiě。Suǒyǐ cái duìyú gèzhǒng bùtóng jiànjiě suǒ chǎnshēng yīzhǒng chāyì，suǒ chǎnshēng yīzhǒng bùtóng de yǐngxiǎng。 Xiàng běi běijīngrén yīxiàng ne jiù kànbùqǐ shànghǎirén。Yīnwéi běijīngrén ne rènwéi zài tiānzi jiǎoxià，tā zài zhèngfǔ de jīguān，suǒyǐ tāmen shì zuì dǒngdé zhègè yǒuguān zhōngguó de qiántú。Shànghǎirén ne，yīfāngmiàn ne tāmen shì yīnwéi jīngjì shāngyè hěn qiángshèng，tāmen ne jiù wèimiǎn bǐjiào shì gōnglìzhǔyì。 Suǒyǐ yīfāngmiàn ne，zài zhègè běifāng gēn nánfāng la shì yǒu xiāngdāng bùtóng de zhègè。Xiàmiàn dào guǎngdōng qù，nǐ zhǐyào bùhuì jiǎng guǎngdōnghuà，dào shànghǎi qù nǐ bùhuì jiǎng shànghǎihuà de huà，nǐ shì huì yǒuxiē bùtóng de zhègè gǎnjué，bùtóng de lìyì。 Zhōngguórén la，yīfāngmiàn shì chún nóngyè shèhuì，suǒyǐ tā duì nánxìng de jiàzhíguān ne shì bǐjiào zhòngshì de。Dāngrán zuìjìn yīnwéi xīfēng jiànzhǎng，ránhòu la duìyú nǚxìng de zhègè dìwèi la yě zhújiàn de tígāo。Dànshì wúkěfǒurèn de la，jiǎrú yào shēng xiǎohái de shíhòu la，tāmen háishì xiǎngdào，ah，wǒ xīwàng nénggòu zài shēng yīgè nánhái，yīnwéi shēng yīgè nánhái la shì yīzhǒng chuánzōngjiēdài de guānniàn。Zhèzhǒng guānniàn bùguǎn shìduì shìcuò，tāmen duì xìngbiéshàng ne yībān láijiǎng háishì yǒu yīdiǎn zhègè shāoshāo de bùtóng。Búguò wǒ yěyào chéngrèn yīnwéi zuìjìn jǐshínián lái ne tāmen zhèzhǒng qíngxíng de guāngǎn ne yǐjīng chàle hěnduō。 Duìyú fūsè la，zhōngguórén yībān láijiǎng la，duìyú fūsè la，tāmen yěyǒu yīxiē bùtóng de kànfǎ。Suǒyǐ la，jiù zhègè jiǎodù láijiǎng，jiǎrú nǐ jìnxíng shāngyè huódòng de shíhòu la，nǐ yìnggāi zhīdào zhōngguórén duì zhèxiē shìqíng de yīxiē guāngǎn gēn gàiniàn。

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View original Cultural Interviews with Chinese-Speaking Professionals from University of Texas at Austin.