Interview 1

Interviewer: Okay, so lets get started. So, first question, and its an easy one! What are the values of your family in your country like?

Mei: Well…I guess with my family, my father is the head of the house and then it comes down to my mom. And what is our value? Well, we value our relationship that we have with each other and we always want to be as close with each other as possible as a family. We don’t want to keep any secrets between us.

Interviewer: Okay…so would you say that would be just your family specifically or most families in your country are like that?

Mei: I think this is just with my family. There are some families in China, the daughters and sons are afraid of their parents and elders most of the time.

Interviewer: Because they have to respect their parents and everything?

Mei: Yeah, they have to respect their parents, but in my family, I think my dad and my mom lets us be more open to them so I’m kind of luckier than the rest of the other Chinese families.

Interviewer: Yeah, so by them letting you be more open, you would say you have a better communication with your whole family and they are also seen as your friends and not just your parents.

Mei: Yeah and that makes a difference.

Interviewer: Of course. That’s great that your family has such a strong value and that you guys have strong communication skills with each other.

Mei: But, I think for others, they have to respect their elders and they can’t be as open about their own lives with them.

Interviewer: Okay…so you would say that is how it is mostly like with families in China?

Mei: Yes.

Interviewer: Okay. So how would you explain your family structure to be like? The head of the house and how you guys work things out as a family.

Mei: Like I said, the head of the house would be my dad and sometimes, my mom would step in, depending on the situation. Like what kind of issues they are having. But most of the time it is my dad that handles everything. And he also brings in the money also. Like he opened up his own store and my mom would help out here and there but most of the time it would be my dad that is in charge of the house.

Interviewer: So he would be the one who kind of makes the bigger decisions then?

Mei: Uh huh. And then it comes down to my mom; me and I also have a little brother, which I take care of. Because in China, I guess, the older sibling has to take care of the younger ones and you have to respect the older siblings. So its hard. The middle child always has the harder role in the family. Do you get it?

Interviewer: Oh okay, yeah so it is like in China, the parents would go out and work, while the siblings kind of have to take care of each other.

Mei: Yeah.

Interviewer: Alright. Well then how does your home culture back in China differ from the culture here in the United States? Like with the family values and how you deal with things in the family. Things like that.

Mei: Well I guess in the United States when the kids turn 18, they can go out and have their own lives and the elders would be put into those care centers. What are those called? Like the grandparents or older citizens, when they get too old, they get placed in those homes.

Interviewer: The nursing homes?

Mei: Yeah like in China, they don’t have those. In China, we don’t do that to our elders. We don’t put them into the nursing homes. We want them to live with us as closely as possible so we can take care of them. And we also don’t go out, like move out, after we turn 18. We find our own jobs and stuff but we still live with our parents and help them. Okay, like if you were the son of the house, you have to take care of everybody of the house and you, I guess, you have to earn money, you have to build a house and everything.

Interviewer: Okay. So the children have to take care of everyone in the family once they get older and they can’t kind of move out and abandon them and everything.

Mei: Yeah. They cannot abandon them.

Interviewer: So do you have nursing homes in China then? A lot of them or just some that are scattered around here and there?

Mei: We do have nursing homes there but is the last choice for them.

Interviewer: Kind of like a last resort?

Mei: Yeah.

Interviewer: Okay. So with those nursing homes, do they sometimes get filled up or are they kind of just mostly empty?

Mei: It is kind of empty.

Interviewer: Okay. Well, that’s a good thing that families in China like to have a closely-knit relationship with their relatives. So what are some things that stand out in your country? Like, when people think of China, what do they think of?

Mei: Well, when I talk to American people, they think of kung fu, but with us, we don’t think of kung fu.

Interviewer: Do you do that at all?

Mei: No, I don’t. [laughs] I know somebody who does but I don’t.

Interviewer: So it’s not a big thing in China?

Mei: I don’t think it’s a huge thing. I don’t think so. No. Like for some parents, if they want to, they can put their children into a special school for that, but in regular schools, they don’t have kung fu at all.

Interviewer: Oh okay.

Mei: Yeah, and what I think about when I go to China is food. All the food stands out in the streets. They have them out in the streets at night and you can go out anytime you want. And the food is so delicious and there are so many variety of food too.

Interviewer: So if this kind of like New York, where there is something that is always open, no matter what time it is?

Mei: Yeah! There is something that is always open for food in China at night. No matter what time. And then our malls, it is so connected together that you don’t have to drive a car to get anywhere. Like from mall to mall, you can just walk because it is so close to each other. The stores are next to each other. We don’t need to have our own car. Unlike in America where everyone has a car.

Interviewer: Okay, so in China, do most families own a car?

Mei: Well, if they are wealthy and are rich enough, they can own a car.  But most of the middle class, they don’t have a car. Maybe middle/upper class would own a car.

Interviewer: Would they own like one car then?

Mei: Yeah, one car for the family.

Interviewer: Compared to here in the United States, where each person gets their own car basically.

Mei: Yeah, but we have a lot of bikes and motorcycles.

Interviewer: Oh…

Mei: Yeah you will see a lot of them on the streets. The bikes, motorcycles, and busses around.

Interviewer: Okay, that is kind of like Vietnam then. I traveled there once and there were a lot of motorcycles on the road. More motorcycles than cars. They don’t have that many cars. So with motorcycles, does everyone usually own one or how would that work?

Mei: Yeah, everyone would either own a motorcycle or a bike for transportation.

Interviewer: Okay, so it is cheaper to own a motorcycle over a car then? With the gas and everything?

Mei: We don’t need to travel long distances. Everything is really close in China. China is a big country but we only live in our own city and we don’t travel to other cities that much. So we don’t do any long distance traveling too much. If we want to travel longer, we can take the train and there are a lot of buses that go everywhere. There are lots of other ways of transportation that are cheap too. We don’t need to own a car.

Interviewer: Are there lots of trains over there then?

Mei: Yeah, there are lots that go everywhere.

Interviewer: How much would it approximately cost then?

Mei: It would cost around $30 in Chinese money. Which is not much. Chinese currency when converted to US dollars is every $6 in China would be about $1 in the United States.

Interviewer: Oh okay.

Mei: So it would be about $5 for a ticket. So it is not that much.

Interviewer: Okay. Well going back to the kung fu, with the history of China, has it always been like that where people don’t learn about or is it overtime, people start to not want to learn about it?

Mei: Well, I’m not too sure about that. I don’t know if it is the movies that has played a big role in making kung fu such a Chinese thing.

Interviewer: Kind of like Jackie Chan movies?

Mei: Yeah, like I am not sure if that has anything to do with it because we watch Chinese movies too so we get influenced too when they make kung fu sound so cool too. But I’m not sure in real life, I know back in the days we use to have kung fu but now it doesn’t play a big part anymore. It was more popular then.

Interviewer: Okay, so what about tai chi?

Mei: Yeah, we do that. But not for the younger ones. Like grandma or grandpa, they always go to the park and in the morning they always do tai chi.

Interviewer: Yeah, I heard that it is a really great exercise routine to get into.

Mei: Yeah. Because the family takes care of their elders, they don’t have much to worry about so they would go to the parks in the early morning to do tai chi with other older people and relax their body. They would also walk around and by the time they get home, there would be food that is ready for them.

Interviewer: Oh okay. So would they have to cook at all? Like the elders?

Mei: Well, only with some families. For my family, like my grandma from my mom’s side, she does cook. But my grandma from my dad’s side does not cook.

Interviewer: So it kind of depends on the family.

Mei: Yes.

Interviewer: And you guys are all really close with each other?

Mei: Yes, we stay close as a family as possible as we can.

Interviewer: Okay, that’s awesome. So what is the most famous food you can think of in China? Like when they think about China, they think about that particular food.

Mei: I don’t think there is a particular food that is linked to China because China is so much it is so big. Like when you think about Beijing, you think about the crispy duck but when you think about Shanghai, it is so international. Shanghai and Hong Kong are both so international so you don’t have any food in particular that can go to that. When I think about China, I think about a whole variety of food, not one particular food.

Interviewer: Yeah, kind of like when you think of America, you think about all the hamburgers and hotdogs, but China is so large that you can’t exactly pinpoint one food in particular that is known. You think about rice and all the different food that comes from all over.

Mei: Yeah, well we think about rice I guess. We eat a lot of rice. We eat it with every meal. Traditionally, we eat it with a lot of different foods. Everyone would get a bowl of rice and we would have different types of food in the middle and everyone would share.

Interviewer: Like a family style dinner.

Mei: Yep!

Interviewer: Are there lots of rice fields over in China then?

Mei: Rice fields? For me, I live in the countryside so yes, there are rice fields. In front of my school actually.

Interviewer: Oh really?

Mei: Yes. My elementary school, in front of the doors, there are rice fields. You can see endless rice fields.

Interviewer: Oh that’s awesome. I’ve seen pictures of them, where it is water and some leaves sticking out from the mud. Like the rice paddies. And that there are steps to it, where there is not flat ground.

Mei: Oh mine is flat. It depends on where you go in China. Sometimes they are flat and sometimes there are levels.

Interviewer: Is there a difference between the rice fields?

Mei: The levels are usually on mountains and the flatter rice fields are on the ground.

Interviewer: Oh okay. So it doesn’t matter with the taste either then?

Mei: No, it doesn’t taste any different. Just the labor of it is different.

Interviewer: I heard rice is hard to maintain.

Mei: Yeah, it is harder on the mountains too because of the different levels.

Interviewer: Have you tried your hand at the rice fields yet?

Mei: No, my family doesn’t own any rice fields. For my generation, we don’t do any farming at all. I think my grandmothers generation, they did all the farming. I wasn’t born when they did that. When I was born, they have stopped already. Our life got better already at that time. During my grandmothers generation, they had that so I don’t know any about the farming.

Interviewer: Well, then with Chinese history, did people back in the day do a lot more farming than they did now in your opinion?

Mei: I think they are starting to slow down the farming of rice. Right now, I think they are bringing in the machines more for that kind of work.

Interviewer: Okay. So they use to do a lot more manual labor instead of having any machines?

Mei: Yeah. It also depends of the different parts of China too. Since China is really big, there are parts where it is really poor and some parts that are really rich. In the country, there are lots of people still doing everything without machines and in the cities; they have a lot more factories and machines to do their processing.

Interviewer: So who owns the rice fields then? Would it be more of the lower class citizens or the upper class?

Mei: The lower class. Upper class citizens don’t do the farming. They are the owners of the bigger factories. It is hard labor so the people who have money would have big companies.

Interviewer: Okay. So then with food, how are your meals like in China? For example, how many meals would you eat a day and how big are your portions.

Mei: We eat 3 times a day. Just like in America. There is breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And how is the meal like? We eat like a family style. We all sit together and each have our own bowl of rice and we share all of the different food that is in the middle of the table.

Interviewer: Okay, so how is the size like then? Compared to the portions that are served in America.

Mei: We don’t eat as much as Americans. We eat in smaller portions and since we eat rice with everything, it is very filling.

Interviewer: Yeah, rice is very filling. Do you eat white rice then? Or brown rice?

Mei: White rice. It is the main crop in China. We eat it with everything. Unless we are eating noodles then it is just the noodles.

Interviewer: Okay. That is how Vietnamese people eat too. We eat rice with everything. I don’t think I can go a week without eating rice…I might die.

Mei: Me too!

Interviewer: Alright. So changing topics here. How is your education system like in China?

Mei: It is not like in America where it is required for kids to go to school.

Interviewer: Oh. It is not required?

Mei: No it is not. In China, in order for you to be able to go to school, you have to pay money. It is not free.

Interviewer: Okay. That’s just like in Vietnam too.

Mei: Yeah, but just a couple years ago, they changed to policy for that. In elementary now, it is free.

Interviewer: That’s great. In China, what grades are considered elementary?

Mei: Elementary in China goes to 6^th grade. It is kindergarten until 6^th grade.  Now a days, Chinese parents are more worried about their children going to school instead of the last generation because I think it the parents are making more money and their lives are getting better.

Interviewer: That’s great that they think that getting an education is important because it really is. So since elementary school is free, how much would tuition cost after 6^th grade? Would they have to pay each yeah or each semester, how would they work in China?

Mei: We have two terms. Each term is half a year.

Interviewer: So like a semester?

Mei: Yeah.  Wait, no. Semester is 3 right?

Interviewer: No, that is trimester. Semester is 2.

Mei: Oh okay. Yeah so each semester. Well first, there are different types of school. There is public and private. Public cost less and private and more expensive. Public school costs about $300, including all the books.

Interviewer: So they pay each semester. $300?

Mei: Yeah. That is each semester. And as they grow older, the prices increase. But I’m not sure how much it costs exactly.

Interviewer: So can people in China usually afford that price for school?

Mei: Well for people who can afford it, their children would go to school, but for people who cannot afford it, they have to go out and find a job.

Interviewer: So in China right now, is there a lot more people who are able to attend college then?

Mei: I guess it is increasing.

Interviewer: It is increasing? How are the tuition prices over there compared to the prices over here.

Mei: Yes. The tuition in America is a lot more expensive compared to China. I am not sure how much it is in China because I am attending college here in America. I am actually the first person in my family to go to college. My dad and my mom never went to college. My dad went to high school and my mom stopped going to school in elementary. They had to work in her family. They needed to bring money in.

Interviewer: And back then; she actually had to pay for elementary school.

Mei: Yeah. I had to pay for elementary school too. Because this policy only changed just a couple of years ago and I am already in college.

Interviewer: Okay. Then with your little brother that is living in China right now, he won’t have to pay for elementary school because that policy change would be perfect for his generation.

Mei: Yeah. That’s right. He won’t have to pay when he starts to go to school.

Interviewer: Okay. Well moving onto daily life in China. What do you guys like to do for fun? What are like the 3 main social past times? Like in America, we like to watch football or go shopping. Is there anything in particular that people in China like to do for fun?

Mei:  Everyone hangs out during the holidays. Like we have certain holidays that are really big. Like you guys have Thanksgiving, we have moon light festival. And Chinese New Years is the biggest holiday we have. On regular days, we like to hangout and go to the shops. Also karaoke is a big thing too. And a lot of girls go to the salon too. They would wash your hair, give you a massage, a facial, and they would style your hair too.

Interviewer: Oh my goodness, that sounds amazing. How often would people go to the salons?

Mei: Well, it depends on the people. For me, I would usually go twice every week. It depends how much money I have in my wallet.

Interviewer: How much does it cost usually?

Mei: It is around $13, which is like $3 for U.S. currency.

Interviewer: I would go everyday! That is such a good deal. And it sounds like they do everything for you too.

Mei: Yeah I really like going to the salons. It is so relaxing and fun.

Interviewer: So do you guys play any certain sports at all?

Mei: Yeah. We play ping-pong and badminton a lot. But since I am a girl, I don’t play sports a lot.

Interviewer: Girls don’t play many sports in China?

Mei: It depends on certain girls. I just happen to be a girly girl so I don’t like to play many sports.

Interviewer: Okay. Well moving onto religion. What are the different religions that are practiced in your country?

Mei: We have Buddhism. And Christianity is also a big religion that is practiced in China.  I would say that those are the top two. For me, I am Buddhism. I go to the temples. And I have friends that are Christians and they go to church.

Interviewer: Do they have a lot of churches over there? Or is it mainly temples?

Mei: It is more temples. They have churches, but not as much as temples.

Interviewer: Are the churches more new, or has it been around for a while? Because I know most of the temples in China have been around for a long time and there are beautifully built ones up in the mountains.

Mei: Yeah the temples have been around for a long time and they keep building more of them and are remodeling them. With the churches, they are more new.

Interviewer: Okay. So for the holidays, would you go visit the temples?

Mei: Certain holidays and certain days of the month, we would go to the temples to bow to the Buddha.

Interviewer: So what kind of dates are they? Are they specific dates?

Mei: Yeah, they are specific dates.

Interviewer: Do they change every month then?

Mei: Yeah, they change every month because we have two different calendars in China.

Interviewer: Yep. You have the U.S. calendar and then you have the lunar calendar, correct?

Mei: Yeah. That’s right. With the lunar calendar, that is what we go by for the holidays.

Interviewer: Okay. So during those days during the month that you go visit the temple, do you spend most of your days there sometimes or when would you go?

Mei: Usually, I go with my mom during the morning and we would go bow to the god, the Buddha. We have many different gods. Many different Buddhas.

Interviewer: Then, during Chinese New Years, do you go to any special temples or would you just go to the temple that you usually go to?

Mei: I go to my temple that I usually go to. We have different celebrations in the streets too. Like fireworks and everyone is outside. During Chinese New Years, it lasts a total of 6 days. Each day we would do a different thing. Like the first day, we would eat with your dad’s side of the family and on the second day, you would go to your mom’s side of the family.

Interviewer: Oh that’s really interesting how it is split up into 6 different days. I didn’t know that because how my family does it, we just celebrate it for a day or a weekend.

Mei: Yeah, but after the first 2 days into the holiday, it doesn’t feel like the holiday anymore. Everyone is done celebrating. We also have red envelopes that the elderlies pass out to the children to wish them good health and it has money inside.

Interviewer: So would you go to the temple for all of those 6 days then or how would that work?

Mei: No, we don’t have to go. The temple doesn’t matter too much on new years. Because they bring the Buddha is brought outside into your front door so you can just bow at home. We don’t have to go to the temple. Everyone just gets together and have fun and go outside to celebrate.

Interviewer: That sounds like so much fun.

Mei: Yeah, it is. I really miss it because I go to school here now and I don’t have the chance to go back to my country for Chinese New Years.

Interviewer: I bet you miss it. So are there any special foods that are made for Chinese New Years?

Mei: Yeah, we have to eat like chicken, beef, or pork for good luck.

Interviewer: Yum. That sounds good! Well we can wrap up the interview. See, it wasn’t that bad! Do you have any questions for me at all?

Mei: Well, I think China and Vietnam has a very close culture. They are almost the same.

Interviewer: Oh definitely. There are lots of similarities in the culture and the countries are also so close to each other geographically. Thank you so much for doing this interview. Coming into this interview, I already knew quite a bit about China, but now I feel like I have learned a lot of new information about your country. China is such a fascinating country to learn about because of the size and all of the different traditions. It is great.

Mei: Yeah! I have happy to do it. Thank you for picking me to do this interview.

How did the interview go?

I personally thought that the interview went great. At first, it was a little awkward just feeding the otehr person questions and waiting for them to answer, but as the interview progressed, it go a lot easier to ease into a conversation instead of just moving on and asking the next question. After having a successful first interview, I hope I will be able to continue with the next 2 and be able to write up an informative research paper at the end of the semester.