<p>Thank you for the message, Flvdad. I am very interested in racial perceptions, and I hope to study race relations in college. I feel so lucky to be experienced with both Chinese and American cultures. China is very homogeneous. America is very diverse. In China, it is very easy to determine if someone is a visitor to our country. Confucian principles require that Chinese be gracious hosts, and we are. It’s easy to be gracious when tourists are so easy to identify. That doesn’t happen in America. Walking down the streets of a big city, it is almost impossible for me to determine who was a visitor and who was a native. </p>
<p>Although I am very proud to be Chinese, I think American culture gets an undeserved negative reputation. In America, there are so many ways for people to be adverse. You have different political parties, many different religions, many different races and cultures, etc. In China, we have one people, one political party, and religion isn’t important. Although this is a simplification, most Chinese believe and act in the same way. (I am not counting outlying areas like Tibet which is seeking to be self-governed). Having a gracious society to visitors is easy because people are basically the same. Chinese are pretty good at not seeking attention and obeying leaders. This is why the Olympics were so successful. However, in America, everyone is different. Yet, people get along for the most part and there are opportunities for everyone. A poor person can get rich, and rich person can lose all of their money. It’s fascinating to me how well this multicultural, multiracial country functions. It’s so much harder to have harmony here than in China. I am actually very proud to live in America.</p>
<p>I wish every American could live outside of America for a few years. They would appreciate this country more if they did. </p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter!!</p>