By Yizheng Wang
As part of the very first group of students who took professor Christian Sorace’s course, I got the chance to interview with Christian, a man with lots of interesting experiences and stories.
Q1: Hi Christian, do you want to introduce yourself to all CC students? I really enjoy the little stories you shared in class. So maybe you can share some interesting experiences with us as an introduction?
A: Yes, I actually lived in many different parts of Asia. I went to Beijing for the first time after two semesters of Chinese class. Back then, I was completely frustrated using Chinese in my daily life. After that, I went to Taiwan for a year-long language immersion, where I met my wife. One of the reasons I can still speak Chinese decently is because we speak Chinese mainly at home and it is the language through which we emotionally relate to and understand each other (smile). When I was doing research for my Ph.D. dissertation and the first book on the post-2008 Sichuan earthquake, I lived in newly constructed apartments in Dujiangyan near Sichuan’s capital Chengdu. I am now learning how to speak Mongolian and have spent several months living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Q: That’s a lot of places, what brings you to those places?
A: My travel is mainly based on my research but I also enjoy the beauty of the landscapes throughout China and Inner Asia. I’m always in the orbit of research. I also spent some time in Guangzhou and Shenzhen so I always like to joke that these dialects in different provinces make my Chinese fragmented (laugh).
Q2: What makes you a Chinese Specialist? Why did you want to learn Chinese?
A: I was trained as a political theorist in a critical Marxist way of thinking. But I was very dissatisfied with how people spoke about China. It often seems to be overly simplistic and not grounded in reality. I generally feel that without talking to people and doing research, it’s hard to make broader theoretical claims on Chinese history or other perspectives. I can say if you choose any topics related to China, you will never be bored or tired because you will always have different aspects to look at. To dig deeper, you will have to work with the Chinese history, context and characters. So to me, China is interesting but recently I’m working with Mongolia to have some comparison and …break (laugh).
Q3: You mentioned in the class that language has a huge impact on culture study right? What exactly do you think the relationship would be?
A: From a political science perspective, you have to understand the way people speak. In China, control of language is a mode of governing which shapes the parameters of how people speak, imagine their possibilities, and frame their interests. The Chinese government intensely cares about official formulations (Tifa) of how things are talked about, which is always changing and being reconfigured based on context and practical need. How do you understand what is going on in China politically if you don’t understand the language? You can’t simply just translate Chinese directly to English, without losing a lot of nuance and meaning. To give you an example, “Xuanchuan” is always translated as “propaganda” which is a bad word in English with the connotation of brainwashing. But in Chinese, “Xuanchuan” is actually more like a moral education connected to Confucianism and later adopted by Communist Party. It’s not a form of manipulation but a form of model of behavior. So to study Chinese you can start to see the difference in how things mean. For people who study abroad, I think in any place, to be able to speak the local language is very important. Being able just to listen to people to talk and think is important. I think differently and my personality is slightly different when I speak Chinese.
Q: I feel that too as a bilingual international student.
A: Yes, we all need to be open to experiences of thinking differently.
Q4: Do you have any suggestion for the Asian culture learners?
A: When you enter a new language or culture, it’s okay to get uncomfortable or embarrassed. I remember the first time that I had a full conversation in Chinese, and I felt so gratified. Of course, there are many moments of frustration but you have to learn from them. It is also important to just turn on the TV and watch local shows even if you don’t know what is going. I’m really impressed with how CC students are willing to explore and push boundaries, which is great! You should always try to look at things from different perspectives. When I think about China, it is not only as a distant place but it’s also a process to learn about myself and the US.
Q: Thank you, Christian! That was a great interview.
