Tag: Emily King

When Mainland Chinese people arrive in the West, usually as students, or sometimes employees, they are usually shell-shocked at the very different culture they find – even if the people are kind and considerate. The fundamental dualism that has built the Judeo-Christian world is thoroughly alien to these people (I have even found this to be the case regarding the very small percentage of genuine Christians that exist in China). Whenever I have travelled around the world, as soon as I exit the aeroplane, I can immediately feel the different frequency of the culture I have entered. I know nothing and am at the mercy of the indigenous population until I can find my feet. When I return to England, as soon as I land, it is like a hand in a glove – I am familiar with everything and know how and what to do to achieve objectives and solve difficulties. Acculturation and acclimatisation are a matter of experience and familiarity. Even Chinese people born outside of China sometimes express an underlying sense of alienation within the culture their parents or ancestors migrated into.