Social media in China

were you with me on my trip? Do you know what I experienced?

I had absolutely no trouble finding English speakers, like I said, even easier than many places in Europe

 

The latest issue of Fast Company has a cover story about this topic:

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/152/the-socialist-networks.html

 

No, but you said everyone in BJ and GZ spoke English, that's an absurd statement even as an exaggeration.

Just because you found it easier to find English speaking people in comparison to Europe doesn't mean "Everyone" or even a majority speak the language.

 

Why are they so certain the Chinese companies didn't get their "ideas" from myspace rather than facebook?

 

Yes, well enough to operate in Chinese and with Chinese coworkers culturally on a daily basis (only foreigner in company not in a translation role). I'm an ABC btw and even though I am really good on a cultural/social level with my coworkers, I'm still always referred to and regarded as 外国人 to them. Literally it just means foreigner, but it's part of a mentality about outsiders and how there will always be distance.

On the English topic, Chinese people in big cities start learning required English from kindergarten; it's part of the core curriculum. The more rural/poor the area and person, the later it starts and worse the quality of teaching.

However, you would be hard pressed into believing English is core talking to the average person. As mentioned by above poster, the older generation did not have this type of schooling. The majority of students are poor and/or did not excel in studies and do not make it to top tier schools. Even more key, academic achievement does not equate to actual learning in China. The majority of people I interact with daily have at least 6 years of mandatory English classes; only a few can carry on a conversation with me in English.

The curriculum also sometimes requires things like "learning" up to differential equations for non-science majors. Let me digress... on the other side of my fence, Americans will scoff at this, "Just wastes time. Nothing to do with my major? What's the point of taking it with no learning?"

But I think America has forgotten some of the most basics tenants of education: broad minded exposure, excelling outside of your comfort zone, and learning to compete (sometimes dirty) in a very competitive environment. American youths are benefactors of a great socio/political infrastructure but hide behind porcelain fangs like Kevin Garnett would if he faced Charles Oakley.

Dually, I think American education has failed to explain its original vision and is creating mentally soft generations [don't get me started on how I view fake masculinity in both societies].

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stonegate_archer - how so?

 

BBS. Almost every university in China have their own BBS.
Link to Tsinghua University's BBS (likely the most active)

http://www.newsmth.net/frames.html