36 Comments Add your own

• 1. Woon Lam "Justine" Wong  |  March 21st, 2008 at 9:26 am

  I believe most students in the developed countries would come up with similar list, but I am surprised that they mention Taiwan and Japan. It seems that to the Chinese students, these two countries are either friends or enemy, as what the recent history told them. When I asked some of my friends here who came from China or Taiwan, they don’t really have a strong stance about what should be the relationship between Taiwan and China. I am really surprise foreign politics is on the students’ to-do list.
  In addition, the students mention “help the poor”, “lessen the income gap” and “develop western China”, which shows that they realize the imbalance growth in China and want to do something for it. I feel very positive after reading this list, for knowing that the students in China actually know what is going on in the country and have hope to change it.

• 2. Dan Noland  |  November 9th, 2010 at 1:45 pm

  It surprises me that three students are willing to advocate democracy given the news coming out of China regarding censorship. Does this mean that advocating for democracy isn’t as dangerous as the media makes it out to be? Does it mean that talk of democracy is more widespread than I had assumed?

  Also, I am surprised to see so many references to the environment on this list. I’m not sure where it originates from, but I’ve always assumed that China is a developing country and citizens of developing countries only care about standard of living. I assume that developed countries have to police developing countries because they don’t value the environment. It seems as though my assumptions may be wrong…

• 3. J Hurley  |  November 27th, 2010 at 8:26 pm

  I am not familiar enough with Chinese politics to understand their current relations with Japan and Taiwan. However, I think that many of the students hit on some good topics like ” protect the environment (5)” , “conserve water” and ” limit the use of oil and coal.” China is in a fast paced run to becoming the most populated and most polluted country air in the world. At the rate that China is increasing in size it makes me wonder if their environment will be able to handle it. They are currently a manufacturing power house that stretches all over the globe; it will be interesting to see in the future if they will attempt to reduce their impact on the environment if it means reducing the manufacturing abilities.

• 4. Robbin Forsyth  |  November 29th, 2010 at 8:42 pm

  I believe that people are fundamentally the same all over the world. Cultures vary, but the biggest difference in what drives peoples priorities is prosperity. I am happy to see the number of social issues n this list. We are led to believe that everyone in China is solely motivated by money these days. This does not seem to be the case. The topics of education and the environment received the highest single “vote” count. Now that China has a real middle class, their children are afforded the opportunity to think about what the impact of the development that surrounds them. If you took this same poll at Cal Poly the issues of tuition and the environment would also probably be near the top of the list. Its a good sign that similar things are on the minds of our Chinese counterparts.
  On a lighter note, football, (soccer) rules everywhere!

• 5. Amanda Podesta  |  December 14th, 2010 at 11:53 pm

  Interesting to see how the overall trend of the students’ wishes seems to balance a drive for progress with a concern for improving societal welfare.

  I know that one’s worries are typically those close to home… but with approximately 15% of the complaints about education– I wonder what especially they don’t like about the system (or if it’s a case of the squeaky hinge getting the grease).

  Fittingly, doesn’t seem to be much concern about future prospects or unemployment in China… bet this would make the list amongst college students in America.

  Wonder what “rebuild our lost civilization” means…

• 6. Cassie Bettencourt  |  December 19th, 2010 at 2:40 pm

  I believe that university-age young people are one of the most homogenous groups of people around the world, which is why you see a lot of similarities in this list. In developed and developing countries, most have shared similar experiences in school, with friends, and with their families. They have just begun to be exposed to culture, politics, and social pressures, but these things have not yet fully infiltrated their thoughts. I also think that most people in this age group, and most people in general, act in their own self-interest. This explains the fact that a lot of things on this list were domestic, and there were quite a few education-related list items. These are issues that the students know and are presently affected by. Even though China is sometimes portrayed as a country that does not care about the environment, it is encouraging to know that environmental concerns are actually in the minds of its citizens - especially when these citizens have the potential to be the upcoming influencers of their country. I would bet that if a group of American students in a similar class were polled, many of same items would come up. The most important take away from this exercise is that maybe we aren’t as different as we think.

• 7. Tara Millard  |  December 29th, 2010 at 4:55 pm

  This list is fairly elementary in that it could be transposed to represent any country. College students seem to think that this to-do list would have come about regardless of which country was assigned. There is little thought given to unique cultural attitudes. For example, to advocate for democracy in China could be life threatening, yet this is added to the list as though it is task one could accomplish without a nationwide rebellion.

  I wonder if these students had traveled to china if their to-do lists would have drastically changed. Residing in San Luis Obispo, it is easy to say that every country should want these basic pleasures that we rally for here in America. Only once another country is experienced first hand can a true to-do list emerge.

• 8. Jessica Shayler  |  January 2nd, 2011 at 3:38 pm

  The bane of most To-Do lists is the number of entries. For instance, I had a ten-item list for Christmas break; I’ve fully accomplished three things and made progress on another four. That still leaves three entries untouched. But that’s okay because I organized the list into different priority levels and these were on the bottom tier. I feel this would an interesting follow-up exercise for the students - organize their list into priority groups explaining why they think each entry belongs in its assigned group. Are you willing to completely ignore the bottom tier if necessary to accomplish the top tiers? Are the resources necessary to accomplish each item worth the benefit of accomplishing them? What are the benefits of checking off the items on your list? I find that coming up with entries for To-Do lists is easy. What is more difficult and more valuable is answering the question: “Why is this on my list at all?”

• 9. David Hart  |  January 3rd, 2011 at 10:20 pm

  It would be interesting to ask this question again to the same students as seniors. This would allow us to see how their perspectives had changed as they gained more experience and education. The main issues discussed sounded familiar–education, the environment, and the economy (standard of living).

  The English corner sounds like an interesting place to visit on a Friday night. I wonder if the university in Beijing where this occurs has a similar type of interactive group on the internet. As online interactions increase through social networking sites, blogs, video chat ,and message boards, we don’t even need to travel across the world to interact with others of different cultures. Of course there is nothing like interacting with people in a face to face environment.

• 10. Chris Bruns  |  January 3rd, 2011 at 10:42 pm

  I was surprised by two things when I read this blog. The first is that many of the concerns seemed very similar to issues discussed in my AGB graduate course in Fall Quarter. The issues of water, food, taxes, education, population growth, standard of living, and the environment are just as real for US citizens as Chinese citizens. The other surprising point was that I had created a list of things I would want to change and concerns I had, which turned out to be very domestic as well. Before I read the point that the Chinese students’ list was “overwhelmingly domestic” I wouldn’t have noticed that aspect of my list or theirs. I find it surprising that despite the cultural differences the majority of us look inwards to try and make changes in the immediate issues surrounding us before looking towards other countries and broader ideas. I enjoyed this article and the way it links people and ideas despite background. It is comforting to know that the people I will meet in China may have a lot more in common with me then I might think.

• 11. Chris Carr  |  January 4th, 2011 at 10:00 am

  Jessica’s comment is very insightful and wise, particularly as it applies to business.

  You all have not yet taken your Strategy course (offered in the Spring).

  The key to good business strategy is the following, in my view and experience ….

  Good strategy entails figuring out what your goal is, what your resources are to get you there (they are always limited and you cannot do it all), and then saying “yes” to ONLY those things that move your stated goal forward.

  I.e., in many cases the best business strategy is learning to say “no” to the many people, employees, clients and the like who offer the easy and no-cost to them, “hey, why don’t we do X?”.

  Be very careful of this. Be sure to first ask such people, “what do you mean by ‘we’?”

  It takes smarts, courage, leadership, effective oral and written communication skills, an understanding of incentives and human behavior, data and statistics, etc., to say no to people who may have good intentions but are offering an idea that makes little sense from a strategic standpoint. In other words, a common sense understanding and ability to apply the subject matter of the basic courses that an MBA degree is built upon.

  Anybody can take the easy out and say yes to a request and thereby be “liked”.

  Prof. Carr

• 12. Brady Haug  |  January 5th, 2011 at 10:36 pm

  When I read through this list, it reminded me of a statement from the book we are reading this quarter, China: Fragile Superpower. The author, Susan Shirk, discusses how when she says the title of her book to an American, they respond, “What do you mean ‘fragile?” and when she says it to a resident of China, they respond, “What do you mean ’superpower?” Clearly these Chinese students see the frailty of their country. Their wish list addresses both public and private concerns in a vast array of areas. There were a few items that I found odd though. As Justine Wong mentioned, I also found it strange that they referenced both Japan and Taiwan. I also found it odd that one stated, “Give everyone a car.” We all know that China has substantial congestion issues and I would have expected a statement that pertained more to public transportation. After reading Reports from China: Postcards from Tomorrow Square, I was intrigued to see the statement, “Develop Western China.” The book exposed for us the earthquake riddled Western provinces that are stuck in poverty. In my mind, this shows me that Chinese students think in the very same way that I would expect our class to. As a foreigner, I expect to leave China finding that pollution would be the most prominent concern on their wish list.

• 13. Jessie Wilkie  |  January 6th, 2011 at 11:29 pm

  The most popular to do topics are

  1) Protect the environment
  2) Education reform
  3) Improve standard of living
  4) Take back Taiwan

  The most overlap occurs in these four to dos. The first three seem pretty universal. The fourth, however, begins bordering on scary nationalism. Tagore’s book on Nationalism denounced it. Claiming that it would just magnify personal selfishness making it exponentially worse on the national level. This logic arose before modern day China. But China’s lack of a “Chinese Dream” as discussed by Fallows coupled with Chinese materialism provides a scary platform for overinflated nationalism. A selfish nation, full of selfish people. Not because any one person is more evil than another given all things equal–however, not all things are equal. China is poor. China is huge. China is sheltered.

  This overall move toward Nationalism is apparent in the following to do items:

  1) Rebuild our lost civilization
  2) Give more funding to the army
  3) take back Taiwan
  4) Expand Chinese culture around the world
  .
  These points are alarming. The “take back Taiwan” one is, in particular, because of the instilled sense of Nationalism that has occurred in four students. This means that four students think one of the top political priorities is to take back Taiwan-a blatant Nationalistic move. Furthermore, although not all the students appear to have this nationalistic characteristic. This might be even more scary. Because obviously students have enough understanding to focus on other hot topics, but some choose to focus on the nationalistic ones. These few extremists might represent a generation of trouble to come. Nationalistic Chinese who only care about China and possess a reckless disregard for the rest of the world..

  Perhaps, I am wrong. Probably, I am paranoid. But it’s just something to be concerned about in any nation. Too much nationalism in any nation is a recipe for disaster. There are current movements in America that are “selfish” as Tagore would define them. This is a very complex and fascinating issue. I just hope people can get a sense of self to avoid being selfish.

• 14. Randy Camat  |  January 7th, 2011 at 1:00 pm

  I do believe that we are all similar in one way or another, and the only thing that sets up apart other than appearance is how we were brought up. It is apparent around the world that environmental awareness needs to be addressed and it also shows in the list – protect the environment (5), conserve water, and limit the use of oil and coal. What was surprising to me was one student’s task of setting the minimum marriage age to 25 because I have many friends under 25 that are already married; some even got married a couple years after high school. Another aspect of the list that was interesting was one student’s task of giving everyone a car as opposed to another of improving traffic. Coming from a civil engineering background, I would agree with the latter student and disagree with the first. What I would propose would be to improve and or add more public transportation services. After all the country does have the power to do so. Finally, the entries are all very good and optimistic, but it does take a tremendous amount of effort to actually follow through actually complete these tasks. Some may even never be completely accomplished; look at our government and think about all the promises we’ve heard.

• 15. Katie Moeller  |  January 8th, 2011 at 10:10 am

  This is the type of list I have been waiting for since studying China. The books and blogs that I have read up until this point have a view from the government. I have been curious to see what the Chinese people think about their lives and country. In my book review for Fallows, I made a comment that we got the government perspective on the environment but I wondered what the people thought about it. This blog answers it; it was a top choice. The most shocking comment to me was about taking Taiwan back. Susan Shirk mentioned in her China: Fragile Superpower book that many of the educational books are tailored to make Taiwan and Japan look bad. I wonder how much influence these books had on the Chinese people or if they really do believe Taiwan needs to be taken back. Some of the other comments are a little more far-fetched but still interesting.

• 16. Anthony Kallioinen  |  January 8th, 2011 at 5:43 pm

  This list was quite impressive. For a group of students who are never asked what they think and consequently ‘flat out refuse to register a thought’ sure came up with a pretty sizable list of tasks to accomplish, many of them bleeding into one another or containing within them many additional tasks. The one that caught my eye was actually the first one on the list – “improve standard of living,” which received four votes. The reason it caught my eye is that in my reading about China over the last several months, it seems as though the standard of living has been raised considerably over the last 25 years. In fact, many of the arguments that I hear countering human rights issues is that the Chinese people are living in much better conditions than ever before. I understand that just because the conditions are better does not mean that they are good. I’m curious though because it seems as though the Chinese government has chosen to keep their people at this standard of living. From what I understand, their currency is undervalued which gives China the edge in manufacturing ability yet keeps its citizens from having any real buyer power. If their currency was valued higher it would potentially give the people a better life but it may halt the tremendous growth they are experiencing. What do the students think about this?

• 17. Tim Easton  |  January 11th, 2011 at 9:23 pm

  This list was surprising in the fact that protecting the environment and education reform were voted top two on the list. Brady had a good point in the “fragile superpower” argument that can help explain why this happened. As an American I see China as an up and coming superpower, so my list would have included expanding trade and continued growth of the economy. The Chinese students might see their country as a fragile one, so they focused inward on things such as education reform and improving the standard of living (3rd most votes). I was glad to see that protecting the environment was tied for highest on the list. I believe that would have been an extremely popular item if students here, and in most other developed countries, were polled. It is good to see that the Chinese youth are focused on this important issue.

  As a lifelong soccer player, and fan, I kind of wish that “call on all children to play football” received more votes. It is amazing to see what the power of soccer, as the World’s Game, can do to nations during the World Cup. The U.S. has never been a soccer country, and it is an easy argument that soccer is the 4th or 5th most popular sport in our country. However, in this last World Cup it seemed that everyone was a soccer fan and we all rallied behind our team. This video shows the reaction of fans around the country to Landon Donovan’s game winning goal against Algeria. The video gives me chills every time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w

• 18. Ashley Ogden  |  January 18th, 2011 at 9:30 am

  One thing is clear: the Chinese people are complex. One thing that was surprising is the diversity in their concerns. With a authoritarian government, I might think that student’s concerns might be trained to be alike, but that is not the case. I was surprised and happy to see that they are concerned about the environment. For a developing country of their size, this is a good sign. The younger generation needs to be worrying about their impact on the environment and their energy usage, and they are.
  But following up with Jessica’s point, if they were to prioritize their lists, would these issues still be at the top?

• 19. Jason Jay Sharma  |  January 23rd, 2011 at 8:45 pm

  Based on the blog posts so far and reading “Postcards from Tomorrow Square” this list doesn’t seem too shocking. One thing has made itself clear over and over again and that is China and its people are far more concerned with their own inside development than altering the perceptions of outsiders. This is quite admirable for a country that has been the focus of international discussions of recent times.

  After reading up on China for the past few months, it’s very refreshing to see what an average student in China feels are important priorities. It would be interesting to see if the items on the to-do list that were repeated most often were in fact the ones these students felt were the most important.

  It is worrying that these students are still fueled with hatred toward Taiwan and Japan. Revenge is very scary road to take and could possibly be blinding when it comes to decision making regarding international relationships. If the Chinese people can stay focused on creating a positive future for themselves, they will be successful.

• 20. Sarah Weinzapfel  |  January 24th, 2011 at 5:33 pm

  To do lists are probably one of my favorite things. Crossing items off of a list is the best feeling. This list is quite impressive and optimistic. . Like Katie said, I love that we get to see what actual Chinese citizens would like to change. Some of the items seem almost comical to me, but I know they in one way or another go hand in hand with some of the more “important” items. I’m assuming/hoping this list isn’t in any order of importance. It is neat to see that people our age in China are concerned with essentially the same issues we are.

  I had a boss who would give our team an unimaginable amount of tasks to do. We would tell him to prioritize his list and things at the bottom rarely got done. We learned that if he really wanted the items at the bottom of the list to get done, he’d ask you again, but otherwise it was time wasted. Not to say that any of these items are a waste of time, but prioritization is definitely a must.

• 21. Will Moeller  |  January 26th, 2011 at 6:01 pm

  It seems like many people have already weighed in on what’s surprising and what’s important on this list. The first question I’d ask is how would this list look different if the population up to age 50 was polled?

  Here’s what I’m getting at, I’m skeptical of Chinese students’ opinions representing all of China’s opinion. Having recently watched the Tankman video, it might be fair to say that what the students care about could differ greatly from what the older population may care about. But, since the students are China’s future, I’ll run with their survey results.

  What strikes me about the list is that many problems require capital - education reform, improve standard of living, protect the environment. From what Susan Shirk has told us, the CCP is sending capital to the United States instead of keeping it at home to invest in these infrastructural improvements. I guess this means I’m looking at it from more of a solution vantage point than at the actual problem. Nonetheless, I’d say it seems reasonable to see the most popular problems on this list change as these students grow up into powerful opinion-wielding results that demand increasingly more from the government.

• 22. Kristine Spencer  |  January 27th, 2011 at 8:06 pm

  Especially at the ages from 18-20, people are very similar around the world, no matter where they live or where they are from. Because of the internet and globalization, youth around the world is remarkably similar in interests, trends, and lifestyle. It is natural to feel pride in one’s self, family, and country. This is why I understand the Chinese nationalism to a small extent; I am a proud American and I love our country, but I have to admit that the nationalism in China does frighten me, like the responses that Jessie Wilkie lists in her blog post.

  Global trends, such as environmentalism, are present throughout the world, even in this simple survey in China. I was disappointed by the responses that placed such a high priority in taking back Taiwan, and this feeds into preconceived notions of Chinese censorship and Communist nationalism. But I was shocked by the response that stated that marriage should have a minimum age of marriage of 25! As if the controversy over human rights issues and the One Child policy weren’t enough, I’m not sure how the world would react if this policy was implemented. I thought it was a little strange
  that someone found soccer that important, but to each their own. Don’t get me wrong, I played AYSO and all that, but kids should be able to choose the activities that they participate in based on their own intersts and talents.

• 23. Matt Streiter  |  February 5th, 2011 at 2:18 pm

  The To-Do list was interesting. For it being compiled by college students I felt some of the suggestions were a little ridiculous, especially to be on the top of a list of a developing country.Set the minimum age to marry at 25, give everyone a car, let foreigners play on China’s soccer team, and call on all children to play football (soccer) all seem trivial when putting them into perspective of what else should be accomplished in lieu of them. Additionally, to reduce/eliminate college fees would help educate the country but on the contrary it would allow for more degrees to be earned making the currently awarded degrees less valuable. As once told by a mentor, “Today’s undergrad degree is equal to yesterday’s high school diploma”.

  So in short I am saying that I was a little disappointed to see how several college students are missing the big picture in what should be on top of the reform list. If they think raising the marriage age to 25 is going to help control the population problem then they should watch an episode of “16 and pregnant” on MTV. And if you issue everyone a car it will be hard for the other student to reduce traffic. I feel like I was very critical on this post but I do recognize that for all the ones that I felt were not well thought through there were several respectable points made on the list.

• 24. Tyler Sereno  |  February 8th, 2011 at 8:06 pm

  There are some interesting suggestions on these to do lists that the Chinese college students made. Many of them believe environmental issues are important to address. After reading Postcards from Tomorrow Square, this does not seem surprising to me. That book describes many of the environmental problems in China, and this to do list shows us that the Chinese people are aware of the problems. Many of the suggestions made were to help improve the standard of living for the Chinese people.

  Some of the items on the to do list seem to be less important for helping improve the lives of the Chinese people. Helping to protect endangered animals is important, but it should not be the key focus of the government. Also, allowing foreigners to play on the Chinese soccer team could be interesting, but it would do nothing to help improve the Chinese standard of living. There are important problems addressed by these college students and they demonstrate how the Chinese people view their country.

• 25. Kyle R.  |  February 13th, 2011 at 11:11 pm

  I’m not really surprised by the results of this question. I believe most people are fundamentally similar in the way they think and the only reason we act differently, is due to the situation and environment we are in. The students interviewed want basically the same thing that Cal Poly students want. Although, the Chinese students’ living situation and lifestyle, in combination with the communist regime, will most likely hinder their dream from becoming a true reality. I predict that there will be a major shift in the way that China produces and utilizes energy as well as more pollution regulation in the future. This change will contain many of the same components of our current green movement has. The reason I believe this is inevitable for the future of China is primarily due to the perfect image that the Chinese government wants to obtain. Just look at the changes that were made to Beijing’s pollution output before the Olympics. Once China is noticeably behind the rest of the developed countries and they start receiving more criticism, then they too will join the push for cleaner energy. Although there are many immediate benefits from their current lack of concern for the environment, such as lower production costs, which in turn saves money for their country while others are spending on new technology and regulation. As China continues on its current path, they may temporarily seem ahead of other countries in terms of wealth, but when the environmental effects really set in, China will eventually have to pay for their decisions.

• 26. Ben Raymond  |  February 21st, 2011 at 7:37 pm

  What struck me about this to-do list was the emphasis on education and the lack of emphasis on job creation. The surplus of college graduates and the job shortage they face is well reported—many college graduates in China live in obscene poverty, a fact which seems counter-intuitive to an American. I’d have thought that the students would have been more concerned with the job shortage. As college students in America we have heard an endless stream of pro-college propaganda—“if you don’t go to college you won’t get a job, make money, or ever be happy” is a common belief fostered among American students. A college degree is supposed to make you more competitive in the work force, but what happens when everyone achieves a Bachelors degree? The cycle continues as students race for a PhD until, theoretically, the playing field levels out and higher education is hardly even a factor. In China, the get educated, get a job, get rich doctrine combined with Eastern education standards have resulted in a well educated population with too few high level jobs to fully utilize the knowledge of the graduates. Considering the list was written by college freshman, it makes sense that they are focused on education, but the job shortage seems like it would also be a concern. Many of the other items on the list such as “protect the environment” would indirectly create jobs in specialized fields, however the lack of a “create high level jobs” item was definitely obvious.

• 27. JP Salazar  |  February 26th, 2011 at 10:22 pm

  There are two things that strike me from this article. First was the fact that many things from this list are things that could be found on a similar list from an American student. Concerns like protecting the environment, improving the standard of living, and improving education are common concerns of many people, in many cultures and countries. It fosters the idea that people are similar and want the same things, no matter where they are from. It also alludes to the fact that Chinese culture and desires are complex. In an authoritarian state one would think that the desires of its people would be more focused and simmilar. That they would be more in line with the state and party. This list shows otherwise amongst the country’s youth. The second concept that struck me was the statement of the Chinese student that their opinion had never been asked of them before. We come from a culture where someones personal views are held in very high reguard. Things like Twitter, Facebook, and blogging encourage people to voice their personal opinions. However, even with this importance placed on opinion, Americans still rarely stand up and act on what they belive in. how can a culture that is so outspoken be so lethargic and disengaged from the world around them?

• 28. Chris Fung  |  March 8th, 2011 at 2:05 am

  I think the list goes to show that Chinese people are just as concerned as Americans when it comes to their issues and what their society should be doing. The question did say what you would do if you were the president for your country (being China) so I am not surprised that most of the issues were domestic ones. I am sure most Americans vote to elect the President of the United States based upon what his domestic agenda is verses his international agenda. And just like us, our Chinese counterparts care about similar issues: Environmental protection, improving living standards, education reform, helping the poor, health care, etc.

  Some of the more interesting responses are uniquely Chinese: developing Western China, Taiwan, and expand Chinese culture around the world. But these are not entirely new ideas; they are very similar to ours (with the exception of the Taiwan issue). Developing Western China could be like revitalizing industry in the “Rust Belt of America”; and spreading Chinese culture would be akin to spreading American influence around the world. The Taiwan issue is a Chinese domestic problem that you are either for or against – but I will not state my opinion on the matter and we can agree to disagree.

• 29. J Vail  |  March 14th, 2011 at 12:54 pm

  This post was interesting… I wouldn’t expect so much diversity in the answers that the two most popular choices had 5 votes apiece. I think if the same answer was asked to American students the answers would be more uniform, but I think both groups of students would focus on domestic issues as well. This list is good to provide a counterpoint to the perspective that economics are the only incentives that drive the Chinese, when many desire the same social and educational reform we want in our own country.

  I am surprised that there were multiple responses to ‘taking back’ Taiwan, from what I learned a while back in an eastern culture course it was a very contemptuous occupation, and a white-washing of what Taiwanese culture had been beforehand. Regardless, I think that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing that the answers were domestically focused, because we have to improve ourselves before we can put our best foot forward to others.

• 30. Omar Pradhan  |  May 9th, 2011 at 4:02 pm

  People all across the globe seemingly aspire to satisfy the same basic needs. As luck would have it, our nation inherited the wisdom of reform minded philosophers who either fled Europe to secure these basic needs here or inspired those who fled. Our nation’s Constitution is the manifestation of these basic human needs and desires. And while not perfect, as evidenced by several amendments, it was and remains powerful symbol of the human aspiration for a better life through social contract. Thus, its no surprise to me that democracy or the hint at paying attention to the collective aspiration (polls) of the people is a consistent theme. No matter the culture, I believe we are all hard wired by our biology to aspire for an improved condition in which to pass along our future generations. Notwithstanding the current situation in China, there will always remain a reason for hope.

• 31. Grant  |  October 11th, 2011 at 4:07 pm

  I would say that his last comment is the most true, that people are just people. It seems that the comments, for the most part, are similar to what you might see here in the US. It doesn’t seem that there are any recurring themes that would make someone notice a huge glaring difference in perspective in China’s worldview.

  Most people want change for the better. But most people are not willing to make a sufficient personal sacrifice for that change. That said, most people are not afraid to make others (i.e. vote socialistic) sacrifice for that change. Irrespective of if you are Chinese or American, few realize the cost associated with the things they want.

• 32. Vladimir  |  December 20th, 2011 at 1:40 am

  A better question may have been: “What three things would you want the president to have on his to-do list?” This would have eliminated the low priority items as well as a conflict of interest. Would a Chinese president really have making the country more democratic on his to-do list?

  After reading about China’s per capita GDP and the average factory workers’ salaries, I’m not surprised that “improve the standard of living” was a top priority, especially if the students were comparing China’s standard of living to that in Europe or the United States. I also expected “protect the environment” to rank near the top. I’d like to see where environment would rank in a longitudinal survey. Would it have been on the to-do list ten years ago? I didn’t expect education reform to rank so high. I wonder how many middle-aged adults would put this on the to-do list.

  One of the difficulties in interpreting these results is the mixture of the influences of youth and environment on the answers. I’d like to see the results for other age groups.

• 33. Charles Dornbush  |  December 21st, 2011 at 10:12 am

  I was surprised of the wide array of suggestions that these students had. From one class over twenty different issues were raised. I would expect if the same question were asked in an American classroom, there would be fewer issues raised. This shows that China has many issues that are on the mind of Chinese students.

  One surprising result was how many students were concerned with the environment. This is good for America and all developed countries if some feeling for environmental protection already exists in China.

  Another large part of the responses were related to giving more money to education or to reforming education. I would expect this to be true in a sample of college students. There are also many responses calling to invade Taiwan, suggesting that there is still much nationalism in China’s colleges.

• 34. Kevin K.  |  December 21st, 2011 at 11:23 am

  I think the best observation I can make on this post is the fact that the list features more breadth than depth. Like Amico says, most of these notions of change exist within China’s borders and not its role on the national stage.

  In this vein, it is interesting to note that most of these suggested changes are about China improving itself — albeit rarely touching on democracy. Nonetheless these students recognize China has a lot of work ahead of itself. Rather than thinking their country is perfect, or taking the ignorance is bliss approach Americans like to associate with citizens living in countries labeled as communist, China’s brightest recognize that their leadership is not perfect and that they as the next generation have the opportunity to influence the path their country will take.

• 35. Daniel Fleek  |  December 28th, 2011 at 5:22 pm

  I am impressed by this list since most of all the things listed had to do with improving the condition of living for the poor. This shows that these students are very aware of the current situation in China compared to developed countries like the United States. Also, I was happy to see the environmental concern topped the list since they were about to hold the Olympics.

  Their students strong opinion to take back Taiwan shows me the tension that still exists between Taiwanese and Chinese. This was surprising since there were two students who wanted to improve diplomatic relations with Japan, who I thought Chinese did not like at all. Even though Taiwan and Chinese share many similarities in their culture, it was interesting that these Chinese students felt strongly to take back Taiwan instead of working with them which they showed they would like to do with Japan.

• 36. Jeffrey Brown  |  January 23rd, 2012 at 11:37 pm

  I am actually quite surprised of the diversity of statements but very few even mentioning life outside of China. I have to wonder what the responses of students in our country would be. Would there be more focus on global aspects, or would the responses relate mostly to domestic issues as well? My guess is that we would be just as self centered, though other countries may be mentioned due to troops being stationed abroad.

  Perhaps a follow question is warranted, “What would be your priorities regarding other nations and foreign relations?” It would be interesting to see a sample of those responses and how they relate to the answers given to the prior question.

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