Qinxin and her Chinese friends taught calligraphy to some of their foreign classmates.
areas, parents allowed their young children to ski so that they interacted with nature from real-life experiences early on. For Swedes, nature is not just something that exists around them, but also something that is part of their identity. The Swedish are always proud of their intimacy and interaction with nature.
Cultural Exchange Due to the fact that Sweden is so distant from China, many Swedish people that I met showed interest towards and curiosity about Chinese culture. I joined the East Asian Association at my exchange institution( Linkoping University), in which the locals who were interested in Asia would participate in the activities and expect to make friends with Asians. I taught Swedish and other European students how to write Chinese calligraphy. While converting their English names to Chinese characters and trying to write them with a writing brush, local students told me that they learnt a lot in the process, such as that individual Chinese characters have meanings on their own.
Additionally, in the Drama Communication course I took, my teammates and I performed a traditional Chinese fairytale called Butterfly Lovers( 梁祝). This fairytale is widely known by Chinese people but not by many foreigners. It is a love story of a young couple whose families have different social statuses, causing them to encounter obstacles in coming together. Even though the stage decoration and props were simple, we successfully spread this famous story to more people with diverse backgrounds. After watching the performance, some of my friends
Qinxin acted in Butterfly Lovers( 梁祝) to share this famous Chinese play with her peers.
were amazed by the plots while some were confused by the values behind it. For example, the female protagonist commits suicide, because she is forced by her father to marry someone else while also finding out her lover dies because of depression. Many people thought the action of her committing suicide was a way of showing devotion and dedication to true love, while others believed that she was just giving up her future life and trying to escape from reality. Sharing different opinions enabled me to hear how others understood and perceived my culture and to respect diverse ideas. At the same time, I was content about sharing things from my cultural background with foreign friends.
Besides what was mentioned above, there were many more instances that either caused culture shock or offered me a chance to teach others about my culture in an accurate way. The experience of being an exchange student in this Scandinavian utopia enabled me to realize that stereotypes and misunderstandings always exist, but we should try our best to resolve them. I always find the blending of cultures captivating and I would like to have more opportunities to explore culture-related areas in the future.
Qinxin is currently majoring in English Education. She likes observing things around her and recording them through photography and writing.
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