Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    China
    Home / China / Opinion

    In times of change, what it means to be Chinese

    By ALEXIS HOOI | China Daily | Updated: 2019-07-01 08:23
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    [Photo/China Daily]

    Major survey sheds light on qualities of citizens behind the country's rapid development and achievements over the past decades

    When Dutchman Dimitri De Boer arrived in Beijing nearly two decades ago, the skies were hazy but locals did not seem to believe it had anything to do with air pollution.

    People "definitely didn't think about the environment", said De Boer, 42, who is based in the Chinese capital and heads the China program of the environmental law charity ClientEarth.

    But Chinese attitudes and understanding of the environment "changed dramatically" in the years that followed, when concerns about the air and other green issues affecting their country were raised, he said.

    "I don't think many foreign people knew that Chinese people would be as environmentally friendly as they are," De Boer said.

    "Usually, they would think Chinese people were the polluters. But within the international community, China is actually more pro-climate than other countries. The world sees China playing a bigger role in climate issues," said De Boer, adding that there have since been "many innovations in environmental governance and technologies in China".

    The greater stake that Chinese people take in major issues that affect their lives at home are part of the evolving attitudes and views that foreigners have of them-and those that Chinese hold of themselves-in the seminal past decades that saw China's rapid rise to become a leading player on the international stage.

    To track the latest developments and better understand the changes, China Daily carried out an extensive survey in May using various multimedia channels, including the Sina Weibo micro-blogging platform and other major social media networks.

    Nearly 10,000 respondents were interviewed about various aspects and attitudes related to the Chinese-with Chinese and foreign interviewees asked to pick the top qualities that best described the people making up the world's second-largest economy.

    More than 40 percent of about 7,300 of those polled via Sina Weibo chose "patriotic" and "family minded" as the main Chinese attributes, which also emerged as one of the top terms picked by respondents on other popular platforms.

    More than one-third of those polled used "industrious" and "innovative" as the other defining traits of Chinese people, according to the survey.

    Interviewees also picked "virtuous" and "frugal" as some of the characteristics of Chinese people, the polled showed. Similarly, Chinese adherence to "discipline" and "collectivism" were cited as some of their main features.

    Out of about 2,000 respondents on social networking portal Twitter, about one-third of those polled picked "industrious" and "innovative" as the foremost Chinese qualities.

    "Patriotic" and "family minded" came a close second, followed by "collectivist, disciplined" and "virtuous, frugal".

    Jon Taylor, professor of political science at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, United States, said that while "every nation changes with the times, I think that there are certain qualities about Chinese people that are timeless: Patriotic, family-minded, industrious, innovative, disciplined, virtuous, friendly, humorous, loyal, easy-going, realistic, considerate, strong, and pragmatic".

    Taylor cited the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the forming of New China as crucial events that bring to mind "qualities such as patriotism, fierceness, tenaciousness, and resilience. During the period of reform and opening-up, qualities such as entrepreneurial, patient, serious, hardworking, enthusiastic, practical, fair-minded, diligent, and self-sacrificing stand out".

    "But what is important to understand is that these qualities are all timeless descriptors of Chinese people ... . So, in this respect, I wouldn't say that the qualities of Chinese people have necessarily changed over the previous decades as much as some of these qualities have gained more notice as the times have changed," Taylor said.

    1 2 3 4 Next   >>|
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
     
    天堂在线观看中文字幕| 无码H肉动漫在线观看| 国产精品无码成人午夜电影| 人妻AV中文字幕一区二区三区| 色综合久久中文字幕无码| 中文字幕在线观看亚洲| 成人午夜福利免费无码视频| 国产成人亚洲综合无码| avtt亚洲一区中文字幕| 亚洲午夜无码久久久久小说| 免费无码又爽又刺激高潮视频 | 国产AV无码专区亚洲A∨毛片| 中文字幕在线播放| 最近更新中文字幕在线| 最近的中文字幕在线看视频| 国产自无码视频在线观看| 日韩精品无码免费一区二区三区| 免费无码又爽又刺激高潮软件| 天堂√中文最新版在线下载 | 无码人妻一区二区三区在线水卜樱| 无码国产午夜福利片在线观看| 亚洲人成影院在线无码按摩店| avtt亚洲一区中文字幕| 国产精品亚洲w码日韩中文| 亚洲欧美日韩中文久久| 熟妇人妻中文字幕| 中文字幕av高清片| 天堂√中文最新版在线| 熟妇人妻中文av无码| 最近免费中文字幕MV在线视频3| 亚洲精品无码永久在线观看| 日韩精选无码| 全球中文成人在线| 人妻少妇久久中文字幕| 欧美乱人伦人妻中文字幕| 欧美日本中文字幕| 天堂а√在线地址中文在线| 区三区激情福利综合中文字幕在线一区亚洲视频1 | 最近中文国语字幕在线播放视频| 最近中文字幕高清中文字幕无| 中文字幕欧美日韩|