Young people in China and Bangladesh through the eyes of an American professor

　　China News Service, Kunming, February 17th: Title: Young people in China and Bangladesh in the eyes of an American professor

　　China News Service reporter Hu Yuanhang

　　"China has become the world's second largest economy and ranks among the best in the world in many fields." "Bangladesh has achieved remarkable results in the past few years and has become one of the new growth engines of the Asian economy." In Bangladesh Katherine Li, an American professor who teaches at the North-South University of China, believes that there are many similarities behind the development of the two countries, including the status of young people.

　　Recently, Catherine accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Network and talked about what she sees as young people in China and Bangladesh.

　　Catherine is an American. She came to the Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (now the "Yunnan University of Finance and Economics") in Kunming, Yunnan, China in the 1990s to work as a foreign teacher, and started a family with a Yunnan painter; later, due to the end of her marriage, she Returned to the United States and was employed by North South University in Bangladesh three years ago.

　　When she first came to Bangladesh, Catherine often had the illusion that she had returned to China in the 1980s and 1990s. "Although roads and other infrastructure are not yet perfect, new things emerge every day. Young people are like soda pops with their caps opened, surging with enthusiasm."

　　When teaching in China, Catherine was deeply impressed by the curiosity and enthusiasm of Chinese young people for the outside world, as well as their hardworking qualities. "That is the opportunity and passion given by the times." Catherine said that compared with the Chinese youth in the 1990s, today's Bangladeshi youth are also full of curiosity about the outside world. Some of them follow the footsteps of the United States, while others appreciate China's development...

　　"This is an era of the Internet and globalization. Young people from all over the world have a broader perspective than previous generations." Catherine is delighted with this change.

　　Catherine believes that besides the first impression, Bangladesh and China have many similarities. For example, "There are many people on the street", one is a big country with a population of 1.4 billion, and the other is the country with the highest population density in the world; such as "Both have ancient history" and "The people are very hardworking and kind."

　　"I think Chinese and Bangladeshi people have softer hearts." Catherine explained that this understanding comes from her true feelings-when living in the two countries, most of the people she met had an open and tolerant heart. He embraced her and provided a lot of help, and she also gained a lover and friends.

　　Westerners often have a headache when Easterners don't speak directly, but Catherine doesn't have this problem. Years of research on Chinese history and culture have allowed her to understand the true meaning of “gold mean”. "Many things should be felt with the heart, not the outside." She said.

　　When she was in Kunming, Catherine loved Crossing the Bridge Rice Noodles the most; when she went to Dhaka, she fell in love with vegetable curry again. "I learned a very interesting story in Chinese culture, that is, it is difficult to fill a cup full of water with new things. If you want to accept new things, you must maintain an empty cup mentality." Catherine regarded this revelation as The first rule of living in a different culture.

　　"In fact, no matter you are American, Chinese, or Bangladeshi, we are all human beings and have the same emotions and needs." Catherine said that when you have an empty cup mentality, "you will find that everyone is always one." .

　　After teaching at North-South University in Bangladesh for 3 years, Catherine found that cross-cultural communication and interaction became more and more frequent. "Our school has held many exhibitions about other countries' cultures, and has had good interactions with foreign schools such as Yunnan University in China. We are getting closer and closer."

　　As an American who has lived in Asia for many years, Catherine sees herself as a bridge between different cultures. She hopes that with the exchanges, "everyone can understand and learn from each other better." At the same time, she also noticed a "paradoxical" phenomenon: the younger generation in various countries, with a broader perspective, also looked back on their own cultural traditions.

　　"Young people have found a particularly good standard, look at the world head-on, seriously study traditions, and use traditions to connect with the world," Catherine said. (over)