Yeah me too. Visited China last year to see some old friends. It was surreal how my own mindset towards the country had changed in a span of a mere 5 years or so. Instead of putting on a constantly smiling, buddha face I would just look taut the whole way. Thought about buying an mini foot massage machine and using it on my face to loosen the muscles...lol; Just didn't bother working up any emotions when a group of girls walked by, nor did I try and nod towards groups of boy as if to show camaraderie. Acted like anyone else in New York City walking down Times Square at 9:00 in the morning. It's surprising how long the simple things like acting as your would back home can take to settle in.

Absolutely - just finished watching the Saints - Toffees match live on PPL. 0-0, but nonetheless a good match. I dunno if you follow EPL football. I was shocked to learn that Nigel Adkins, the Saints manager was fired Friday last. The Saints board had had his replacement wsiting in the wings! Sounds like the kind of tactics that are prevalent in EFL in China. Anyways, off to bed now for my morning nap. See you later!

I do not agree on comparing evolution with culture with the way you put it. Scholars after all are human beings too and their conclusions can be as much personal opinion as the rest of us. If I turned your logic around with questioning evolution then I guess it should be fate from a superior power that the whole world should be enthralled with modern civilization such as iphones, jeans, and hollywood movies. Of course if that point was given heed then it would be an obvious bias towards western civilization and possibly racist. I do think for people to take credit for something that their ancestors achieved they should at least carry themselves firmly so as to back up their proud heritage, but only if they so choose. It's the people who try and force things on everyone (such as moving to another country and still addressing locals as "laowai") while not contributing enough back to their adopted countries that I have a problem with.

Putting your culture first when you can find a better life outwith it is naive, imo.

I do think that since we all have had different life experiences, we can share what we have in common and leave our differences at that. For me, I do not think I would have taken an interest to teach myself Mandarin Chinese to the point of being able to speak, read, and write if I truly felt that the culture that raised me was already superior enough. I don't however need to justify any of my actions to anybody else as my choices were good enough for me. Having lived in more than a couple of countries I made the comparisons based on more than a china vs. west thing. How I feel about where China stands is something I am confident about. It wouldn't matter if I went back to China in the future for anything, that would not change.

If you mean drinking chinese beer, eating chinese food, then yes, that can't be done in the UK.The wife I can agree on however.

Okay, San Migs. Back in 1994, I had signed off the bru after 2 years of unemployment to go to China to teach for 10 months along with my first wife. She taught too despite never having done so before. My father gave me 1,000 GBP and paid for two single air tickets to Beijing.

In Scotland, I'd taught high school maths for approx 9 years, and after packing it in, I got a lowly job as a clerk controlling GKN pallets on behalf of a beer manufacturer after 4 months on the dole. Eventually, I was promoted to Company GKN Pallet Control Manager, and saved lots of money for my company by turning pallet losses into pallet gains. Of course, that was the net situation. Truth be told, blue pallets will always be lost, but I was gaining more than were being lost by diddling fellow GKN pallet hirers/hauliers/GKN Admin on paper year after year until finally my company was in the happy situation of using on average 12,000 blue pallets rent-free. That saved my company approx 2,400 GBP/ day every day of every year in pallet rental fees. Sales were rising, but the pallet population was falling. However, I wasn't benefiting salary-wise and was refused a company car though my incompetent predecessor had had one.And I was just a junior manager, so I wasn't earning more money than a maths teacher!. Eventually, I cheated on overtime by taking overlong lunch hours in the pub and doing loads of work at night/weekends for about 2 years. At last I was fired, but I had no regrets. I had been employed by that company for 8 years. Then two years doing nothing before China. My favorite foods were Indian and Chinese curries, and I was a beer drinker since my university days, as well as a smoker.

Arrogance and a feeling superiority of ones own culture seem to me to be fairly universal.

I agree, but because it seems to be fairly universal doesn't mean it's a good way. If one's own culture disappoints one, then I suggest trying to find a foreign culture where one is at least less disappointed. Individualism beats herd mentality for one's own sake.

As for the PRC, it has fulfilled my aims and let me live well 'teaching' EFL, and nothing I could have done in Blighty could have given me an equivalent lifestyle for doing so little, and such a beautiful young woman to be my wife.

But that means not that here is perfect - it's a balancing act, and there are negs to accompany the +ves. It's a matter of degrees. It's a pity that there are disappointingly few world citizens who don't adopt this kind of mindset. But that's their loss, so it's maybe a deserved consequence of their narrowmindedness. Putting your culture first when you can find a better life outwith it is naive, imo.

How often do we try to reason people out of their own cultures because of our analytical stance or our feeling of superiority or our sense that we have a different kind of skill than they do.

This gentleman seems very devoted and is pretty accomplished for his career. I do have to say that Western Sinologists have contributed much to the re-building of the Modern Chinese Paradigm and ethnic pride. For example the late Joseph Needham （Known famously in China as Li YueSe) coined the term "Four Great Inventions of China" (Si Da Fa Ming) which helped set the foundation for the modern interpretation of the history of China. One can also argue that the modern Chinese mindset of always seeing the West as "recently surpassing" China in science and technology was largely influenced by the "The Needham Question".

Which does beg the question: Would a civilization that is really thousands of years old need the assistance of a foreign man born at the beginning of the 20th century to carry her reputation?

I watched the movie 'M Butterfly' recently on Veetle. It's a strange movie, supposedly based on a true story. What I found surprising was that even way back before the opening-up, foreign diplomatic staff were of the opinion that the Chinese were an arrogant race. Have you ever seen said movie?

Your tone when you used the expression showed clearly you didn't take what I have said too seriously. I guess that's you admitting you can't carry a normal, adult conversation. You have lost enough face to last a couple of lifetimes most likely. Your views only make others feel like they must lower themselves to live in china. Why would I want to come to where you are knowing I must give up my sense of dignity? You are the textbook example of what an expat can become if they lose touch with the outside world by staying in a closed off place like china for too long.

Lets not get too sensitive, Dragonised. I am sure we will find something to agree on.

Now, am I right or am I right?

You seem to keep on repeating this only to me. Apparently you think you can talk to me like a child. I would like an apology from you. You can email me if you want if you think doing it on the board makes you lose face. But I will stop addressing you like a person worth wasting time on if you continue to be an ass.

That particular expression has been going for hundreds of years, so it's not my invention. It's not something said to belittle at all, and I am sorry that you have taken it that way. I was recently reminded of that innocent bit of cockyness in the BBC Potter screenplay "The Singing Detective" have you seen it? Also I have in no way pinpointed you by saying 'am I right or am I right' When are you returning to China? Lose face? We all should lose face occasionally, don't you agree?

That last part with the qq zone was especially disturbing. But considering the general attitudes of many youngsters in China you're talking about a demographics who are told to follow the leader, not question anything, and not speak up on blatant injustices which happen in their society

Maybe you are right and QQ-Zone is disturbing, but I doubt if it is particuaarly disturbing, when it comes to accusing folk of doing things they haven't done; I rather think that it is still learning from Western abominations like 'Twitter' also 'facebook' who are not content with ridiculous accusations of Silverboy running pink-room activities, but accuse elderly British statemen of child abuse, when they have never ever visited the place where the abuse was claimed to have been carried out. When it comes to spreading the dirt, QQ Zone is a mere novice compared to Western Internet sites. Now, am I right or am I right?