Editorial
note: I hesitated before adding this piece to Pusanweb.
It is not "Korean". However, China has deeply
influenced Korean culture, and continues to do so. The
educational legacy has been profound, and in spite of
the communist overlay in the PRC a common worldview still
runs deep. For these reasons I felt that this personal
correspondence might be of wider interest. The writer
has given permission to publish. TM
This
letter from a friend, a Chinese postgraduate student, says
much about the present state of Chinese universities. Initially
my friend was refused admission for "failing"
the political examination by one mark. Politics had nothing
to do with the major of interest to her, but remains a compulsory
subject, replete with archaic propaganda about "scientific
socialism". No Chinese student with half a brain believes
this stuff, but the rite of passage is still a potent weapon
for extortion and intimidation, and a source of employment
for dinosaur professors. In the backhanded way that propaganda
works on intelligent human beings, these 'politics' courses
may by the best possible innoculation that China's future
leaders could have against reasserting the communist dogma
in the next generation .. Of course, my friend didn't really
fail. It was the usual under the table demand for a bribe..
I have deleted names and institutional references to protect
the writer, but the content is otherwise unchanged except
for some grammatical corrections.
It's truly a long, long, long time since we communicated with
each other. I think you will not forget who I am?
These
three months have been just like a dream for me. After experiencing
disappointment, frustration, sadness, so many tortures (maybe
this word "torture" is too big to describe my experience;
from some points of view, this is just a small case, but for
me , it's so special.), I have become a graduate in this university.
Now I study in the laboratory there; I live in the dormitory;
I eat in the mess hall in; and I can have a share of everything
- classroom, streets, trees and buildings. I feel that I have
become the master of this campus. You will feel I am very
crazy, right? But you know, the process of asking for enrollment
is so difficult and special. Unfairness and guanxi
(special connections) are so popular in China, and they also
operate in the education system. Frankly speaking, I wanted
to give up in the face of it. But my mum and another warm-hearted
old couple encouraged me to stand up and strive for my own
rights. I won, and got the enrollment. I should be very happy,
right? Truly speaking, I don't have such a feeling.
The
first problem is the financial pressure. I must pay for my
own fees: 30,000 yuan for three years learning. As you know,
there are two ways for the paying fees in China: the national
(scholarship) payment and the individual payment. I belong
to the latter. The graduates who can get the national payment
are limited. Marks are important, and guanxi has a
special effect. If I can get high marks, maybe I can save
the money, but it's still not sure (regardless of marks).
Do you think I am timid since I don't dare to try again?
You
know, all the graduates in every college are going crazy now.
More and more graduates select continuing study as their goals.
The competition in the graduates' entrance examination is
extremely fierce in China now. It's not because more people
truly want to be scholars in the future, but because they
are escaping the pressure of employment. Each one wants to
get a good job - comfortable conditions, high salary, more
chances to develop themselves. If they are not satisfied with
the job and their own condition, the only way is continuing
study. And some of them actually give in their resignation
(from jobs) to prepare for the graduate entrance examination
only. God save me! I dare not imagine how, when we graduate
and get the Master's degree, there will still be fierce competition
to find a job.
The
second problem is about my future. The reason I changed my
major is that I truly like this new major. I am interested
in this major very much. But when others in my old major knew
that I had jumped from a "hot" major to a "cold"
one, they thought I was foolish and stupid, because the conditions
of employment will not be so optimistic and the range of employment
is narrow too, and the most important thing is the salary
will be lower. Fortunately, I haven't regreted my choice.
I prefer to spend time on learning more useful things, rather
than spend energy and time on regrets. What do you think about
that?
The
last problem is that I am so tired to doing my part-time teaching
in the language school. I have made a new friend. She is also
an Australian, and I found out that she has many similarities
with you - teaching kids everywhere and traveling all over
the world. Both of you selected your own favorite life style,
and you are happy. In my opinion, this is very important.
Comparatively speaking, Chinese are shackled by traditional
customs and thinking. They lead a tired and fettered life.
So they are not happy about how they spend every day. There
are two young Canadian guys working in that school. They don't
have college diplomas but they can earn more than 6,000 yuan
a month here (it's still unfair between foreigners and Chinese
..) They think it is not difficult for them to make a living
by themselves. If they believe going to college is essential
at some time, they will go back to campus no matter how old
they are. It's totally different in China and Western countries;
[late age entry is usually not possible in China TM].
There are so many obstacles to overcome here, and research
is such a problem too. What I envy about you is that you are
free!
"Letter from
a Chinese Postgraduate" copyrighted to Thor May 2003;
all rights reserved
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