I never did learn why the city sanitation workers in Hangzhou used brooms made of wood, branches and cloth. Was it culture or cost? I still don’t know. Let’s face it - we, too, carry a lot of traditions that may seem puzzling to foreigners. Why in this day and age, for example, do we persist in omitting a thirteenth floor in multi-storey buildings? What I do know is that while culture may run deep, it is nearly impossible to dissect the phenomenon we call culture from the economic, geographic, religious and other forces that shape who we are.

Throughout its history, China has had a lot to boast about. It invented the printing press 600 years before it was “discovered” by Gutenberg in the West. It invented paper, the magnetic compass, porcelain, the wheelbarrow, pasta - and a whole raft of other things we all use and take for granted today (Howstuffworkscom, n.d.). But China is more than just the sum of the knowledge it’s brought to the world. Like any other national culture, China has its own long and intimate history and its own future to forge.

It was evident in each encounter of “old” and “new” – from growing consumerism as evidenced by the new mall in Qianjiang, to an adapting manufacturing sector, to new emissions targets, to families that are reorganizing to meet their economic and social needs – China is a country in transition. Yet, it would be a big mistake - and the height of cultural arrogance - to suggest that in time “they” will become “like us.” Certainly there is a desire on that part of citizens to achieve the “China dream” of a better standard of living, and a push on the part of government to open the doors to new global opportunities - and with it, outside influences. But collectively, we cannot continue to consume resources at the rate we did in the West if we want to survive to tell the tale. China must do things differently.

I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to experience this moment in time in China’s evolution. In witnessing - and in some cases, negotiating - the paradoxes of the “old” and “new” I began to learn to put into practice the attributes called for by interculturalists: empathy, perspective-taking and adaptability, as well as respect, openness and curiosity (Deardorff, 2009). I also learned that, despite very real differences, kindness and generosity can transcend culture.

I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the many warm and generous people I met during my residency who opened their homes, hearts and stories to me.

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