Chinese New Year... or How Little My Boss Thinks of Us Americans

My boss is Chinese. This is important to the story...
In one of her first weekly attempts to impart her wisdom to her American workers (including me), my boss Lucy decides to share her view that Americans are imperialists, egocentric, and globally uneducated. Boy, this really got me motivated to do my job! Read for yourself...
(Red italics are my own inserts).

From: Lucy Recipients:
2009 Weekly Message
Subject: Chinese New YearDate: 01/23/2009 02:53:18 AM
My 2009 January Account Planning (Learning in this case since I am quite new in the job role) in Asia is coming to a close. It was a very productive trip (from business perspective) as well as enjoyable (from personal perspective). Tomorrow I will pack up to take a 5pm flight from Hong Kong to return to New York City.

I learned tons business wise. In addition, I experienced America and being an American amidst the voices, minds and hearts of the Singaporeans, Filipinos, and Chinese. The news out here is global. There are frequently interesting stories from many countries being featured. The center of universe is not just America like back in the States. And when they have political analysis, the panelists are not the typical self-promote pundits eager to fill the air waves like those on Fox News and CNN. By the way, the CNN programs are better quality here than in the States (my opinion). I found the political discussions on the television programs in this part of the world actually very thoughtfully and professionally put together. The moderator/newscaster usually asks intelligent, well-prepared questions, focusing on what really matters. The discussions are deep in context and well researched by educators and thinkers – they definitely keep their words to minimal but majoring in the insights and implications. My mind does not have to filter out the noises of the pundits; instead my mind is being challenged to think broadly and differently. One impression I formed on this trip is that many more people in this region are using the English / American languages to express their worldview better than those in America.


The crescendo in the past few weeks over here was the same as in the States – majority of the people were waiting joyfully for Obama to officially become the President of United States. Several taxi drivers voluntarily shared with me their hopes for a much better world because of Obama. They truly believe and have faith that the problems of the world today will be addressed satisfactorily by Obama and his leadership. Some Chinese people I met told me “You Americans are lucky again to have such a good president!” The question I asked myself often, “will we become responsible citizens to help shape the 21st century now that we have chosen wisely on our leader? What personal responsibility and sacrifice are we willing to put forth?”

On the personal side, I experienced acts of kindness and generosity every day. Dalai Lama once said, “I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove fears and insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life.” I begin to have a better appreciation of his teaching.

And here she makes the leap from America-bashing to sentimental Chinesery

After three weeks away, I am not just going home. I am going home for Chinese New Year which is on January 26, Monday. While I was in Singapore, I read the most beautiful sentiment ever expressed for what Chinese New Year means to the Chinese families. Picture a young couple in their late 20’s, may be early 30’s. The young man was holding their 2 year old daughter, and the young woman was holding their 3 month old son. She said, "I look forward to Chinese New Year as I have been brought up in an environment with strong family ties. One of the traditions I observe is to go back to my parents’ place in the morning on the first day of Chinese New Year to serve them tea, to show my deepest respect, love and gratitude to them. I would like my children to know that Chinese New Year is not only about strong family ties, but that it takes efforts and consistency to maintain them. It is not something that we should take for granted. The only way to pass down these values is to be a good role model and create an environment which stresses the importance of family values and ties.” No wonder in the recent BBC News, it reported that the Chinese authorities are trying to calm the fears of millions of railway travelers anxious to get home for the traditional Lunar New Year.
City railway stations are reporting more passengers than usual as migrant workers head for their rural homes. Each day, tens of thousands of passengers pass through the vast waiting halls at Beijing's West Railway Station. The station handled 130,000 departing passengers one day recently, about 38,000 more than the usual daily average, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

China's railway network is expected to handle about 188 million passengers this year, 8% up on last year, according to the Ministry of Railways. Many news updates use the phrase “early exodus” – now that is a biblical word – may be going home really is a salvation to the Chinese especially the migrant workers.

Lucy