Bridging the Gap Between Eastern and Western Cultures

AS the pace of Chinas reform and opening-up continues to accelerate， more foreigners make their way to China to work， study， and live. Some of them have written a variety of Chinese-themed books， recording Chinas development and changes from different perspectives.

Lisa Carducci， the author of From Peking to Beijing： 30 Years of Evolution and Development， is a Canadian teacher and journalist. She traveled to China twice in the 1980s and was so fascinated by the Chinese culture and its people that she decided to settled down in Beijing in 1991， where she worked as a foreign teacher at Beijing International Studies University， and then as a language consultant and journalist at China Central Television and China International Publishing Group successively. Her job gave her many opportunities to travel around China， which gave her a unique perspective on Chinese culture， especially on Chinas multi-ethnic culture and society.

Reflecting on the great changes that have occurred in China over the past 30 years through the authors personal experience is a major feature of this book. Carducci has her own unique observations， insights， and feelings about Chinas economy， society， and nature. She has written a large number of articles to introduce Chinese culture to the world， and the rapid development and changes in various fields in China since the reform and opening-up， exploring the relationship among people with her sincere and humorous outlook. The commonality of people helps those who communicate across cultures eliminate prejudices and misunderstandings.

The book is divided into six chapters， starting from the time when the author first traveled to China in early 1985. She recalled the profound feelings of two trips in China in the 1980s. Then， she narrates stories that happened in the early 1990s when she was a foreign teacher dealing with language and cultural differences.

Carducci is skilled at understanding and explaining the logic of Chinese people through specific examples， such as the Spring Festival holiday celebra- tions in the countryside， the public transportation and the emergence of private cars and traffic jams， and then the advent of high-speed rail， which has escalated the speed and convenience of travel. From teacher to journalist， the change in career has also brought her many new perspectives and experiences. For example， she had the opportunity to interview people in Xinjiang， Qinghai， and other ethnic minority areas； and she personally experienced the SARS outbreak in 2003， the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games， and other important events. Through these events， she witnessed Chinas reform， openingup， development， and some great changes firsthand.

Carducci enhances her story telling with specific examples and detailed data. For example， she recalls that when she traveled to China for the first time in 1985， there were only 19 hotels in Beijing that could accommodate foreigners， but today the number is 4，000. And many hotels no longer distinguish between domestic and foreign guests. Another example is that it took 24 hours to travel from Beijing to Hangzhou by train in the 1990s； while after the launching of the high-speed rail， the time has been shortened to over four hours. There are many examples of comparisons like these in the book. As a witness to the changes， Carducci is happy with Chinas rapid development and has developed a deep attachment for China in the process.

Interpreting Chinese culture from the perspective of foreigners and discovering the differences between Eastern and Western cultures is another major feature of this book. Some matters that Chinese people are accustomed to may appear unusual in the eyes of foreigners. They have caused some interesting cultural collisions， and promoted exchanges. For example， what the author observed about “Chinese politeness” is that Chinese people sometimes say the opposite to what they really mean. For instance， they might reject a gift to show politeness， when， in fact， they actually want the gift. In contrast， Westerners are more direct， but this direct way of expression is sometimes considered somewhat rude in Chinese culture.

In her book which aims to promote international communication， Carducci notes that empathy is essential to cross-cultural communications. Many Westerners often hold an arrogant attitude toward China. In their opinion， anything that does not conform to Western logic is wrong， and anything beyond their understanding cannot be good. But in her view， living in China requires understanding Chinese logic， and one should not carry Western prejudices. For example， when some foreigners look at the main entrance of the old Beijing Railway Station， they will observe that only the doors on the left and right are open while the one in the center stays closed. They may see this as a poor design. However， the reality is that the design is made to better manage passenger flow during the extremely busy travel period of the Spring Festival. She points out that Western logic that does not consider Chinas national conditions is not only arrogant， but also narrow-minded.

Carduccis love for China is not only manifested in her active learning and integration with Chinese culture， but also in her interest in Chinese ethnic groups. She knows more about Chinese ethnic minorities than many Chinese. As a reporter， she has traveled to Xinjiang， Inner Mongolia， Qinghai， Yunnan and other places for interviews. She talked with people of different ethnic groups doing a wide range of professions， including farmers， teachers， restaurant owners， and craftsmen. This provided her with a deep understanding of their living conditions and thinking. The trivial things that happened in their lives gave her the inspiration to write.

In addition to this book， Carducci has also published These Wonderful People of Xinjiang and My Tibetan Daughter. She also helped female students in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province complete their studies of middle school， university， and even postgraduate programs. Because of her outstanding contributions， Carducci won the 2001 Friendship Award granted by the Chinese government.