Among overseas Chinese, there are good examples of preserving traditional Chinese culture but also the potential risk of losing our roots, especially with the new generation of Chinese born and raised in foreign countries.
So how should they hold our national spiritual ground? Do they feel responsible for spreading Chinese culture in foreign countries? Does traditional Chinese culture inspire them in their overseas experiences? As a modern Chinese person, how do they handle the cultural balance between Chinese and western countries? To better understand the situation in the overseas countries, we interviewed some students studying in the U.S.
Banana Man
“Banana man,” with a yellow appearance and white inside, refers to the new generation of Chinese born in foreign countries, who are yellow skinned but full of western ideas. Because their way of thinking has been westernized, they can hardly understand the traditional Chinese culture their elders preserved. In some families, ‘banana men’ don’t appreciate their parents’ reserved behaving manner and the elders don’t understand why the kids like to show off. Some parents complained that the kids never watch Chinese TV programs or read Chinese books. A Chinese lady living in the U.S specially brought her daughter to travel around China in order to teach her about Chinese culture, but the twenty-year-old girl was interested in nothing but food and beautiful scenery.
Email to Friends
Print
Save