The Heart of China

In response to a Facebook group post about the recent meeting between Trump and Xi, I left a reply suggesting that the new agreement, to freeze tariffs, is a good thing and that the US will gain nothing by playing difficult with China. A group member replied to the tone that we should not be nice to the Chinese and continued to rant about a push by the Bush administration for American students to learn Mandarin.

I disagree with that perspective and decided, since my original Facebook post is too long for a LinkedIn post, to make it into a LinkedIn article.  

My Reply To The Facebook Group Member

Jesse, I tend to agree to disagree. I lived in China for over 20 years, from the 80s into the 2000s. Learning about other cultures and countries is actually what WE don't do well and could very well be one of our biggest weaknesses. 

This failed practice only leaves us open to being taken by the sleight of hand. Be it in government or business, including basic civil cross-cultural interactions, the ignorance of the American people toward other cultures is mind-boggling, and it's by choice. That choice is based in our political and educational failures. I strongly doubt you would go to a doctor who didn't have the proper education or a consultant who didn't have schooling and experience in the areas they purport abilities, but that is exactly what is happening in this country and we are even obstinate and stubborn in our responses. Let THEM learn our language, let THEM figure us out, we chant. Now, WE wonder why WE get "taken advantage of" when WE don't do our fair share of learning and study about THEM, becoming adept at THEIR language and cultural perspectives. 

Rather, like spoiled children, we complain that we are not being treated fairly. Ignorance about others is not bliss, it is an abyss, and it's frailty based in privilege. 

I'm US-born and educated but I speak native-level Mandarin Chinese, I understand the Chinese as if I was one of them. The NSA offered me a position that I turned down, the offer stemmed from my having passed stringent language assessments and because I understand more about China than most non-Chinese. I apply THEIR culture, and thought processes, to achieve successful outcomes when dealing with them. 

In the Art of War, it says, "知彼知己百战不殆", basically, “Know your adversary and know yourself and you will be victorious in all battles”. I question how much we really know about ourselves, much less others! Yet, the idea of learning about others, as a valid strategy, has been common knowledge in Chinese society for thousands of years. 

It's not that we are being taken advantage of, it's that we are ignorant of ourselves and others. Wake up dude! 

But Why Do We Resist Learning About Others?

There is a pink elephant is in the room and many American citizens and politicians refuse to see it. What is it? Culture. Culture is easily one of the most important factors in successful cross-cultural communications, of any kind. Unfortunately, without the openness of mind, proper training, and harmonious personality traits, culture may become a fail-factor in many situations when dealing with China. Especially when we add the frailty of ignorance. Ignorance is a byproduct of a US national sense of privilege, the sense that we don’t need to learn about others, or, it's a business deal and money talks.

The Chinese have a language, culture and society that has been literally un-severed for over 3500 years. Writings from over thousands of years are still studied and applicable in today’s China. When the Chinese are seeking answers, they look to the past. The Chinese culture, as modern as it is becoming on the outside, is still very Chinese deep down. All Chinese-born citizens, no matter their current outlook or worldview, are strongly influenced by the roots of a culture based on up to virtually 5000 years of history, writings, and social practices.

Confucius said, “知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也.” Basically, saying, “A wise person knows what they know, but also knows what they don't know”. When we don’t know what we don’t know, we are in a position of weakness and passivity. In a meeting with a Chinese counterpart, whom you expect to speak English with, you may be put in the weaker position. You are unaware of the underlying cultural implications at play, the different scenarios or potential challenges produced by the lack of understanding about their language and culture. What we don’t know may harm us. With no means to justify, we turn to our sense of entitlement and privilege as Americans and claim that –they must have cheated. However, I don’t buy into that mindset anymore. Why? Because I understand Chinese culture from the perspective of Chinese culture. I no longer need to compare it to American culture. Why? Because Chinese language and culture have become autonomous residents in my mind along with American language and culture. It took over 30 years, but I have come to the place where I realize the biggest challenge is culture, and culture is expressed via language.

Still, many American businesspeople think that China is no longer Chinese, it is becoming modern and embracing Western ways, sensing that the Chinese are putting their ancient ways to the side. I agree they are becoming modern. In fact, Chinese society is becoming more modern than American society in many ways. However, modern China is being built on the foundation of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, just as it has been for thousands of years. And just like the thousands of years prior, it is, again, being seasoned with foreign perspectives and ideas that will, over time, become Chinese.

The Heart of China Will Always Be Chinese

There is a saying, you can’t change a tiger’s stripes. China will never forsake its birthright until the books are burned and the language dies, the Chinese will always have a connection that dates back thousands of years. Recently, I was listening to a Chinese scholar discussing the present situation with China and Taiwan. He suggested that the people on both sides of the strait maintain a deep common connection, a connection that extends beyond current events, to a time and place where the people are one, one through their culture, based on the classical teachings, the unique world of the rites of Confucius and The Dao of Lao Zi. 

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Todd Cornell is the founder and Managing Director of Cultur668, a cross-cultural consulting and training firm focused on business, culture and etiquette in China. He is the compiler of The Five Skills of “Bing Fa” – business strategies based on practices straight out of Chinese culture.