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Wudaokou Watch: "I Couldn’t Possibly Say What We Could Teach China"
In Wudaokou Watch, we profile a different Beijing-based student from abroad each week to hear about their life in China's capital.
You may not recognize the name Todd Chaddington. The Indianapolis native has kept a low profile here in Beijing, mostly avoiding the Wudaokou bar scene, quietly studying Chinese at BLCU in his pursuit of knowledge and in his words "respecting the earth's oldest culture." Yet you might know his Twitter handle: @ToddinChina1 because in his short time he has spent in the Middle Kingdom he has accumulated a strong following, thanks to his sharp and insightful "woke, fresh off the boat" observations. We've long been a fan of the budding China watcher, so when Todd reached out to us asking if he could be interviewed for the series, we were thrilled.
Take it away, Todd!
One thing that most people don’t know about America is that it is actually not the best country in the world. That’s cus no country is the best. I think we should celebrate all differences!
I believed America was the best country in the world. But seeing China, I now know there are many ways to be best.
If I could become a Chinese citizen I totally would. More passports, more freedom!
One thing about Beijing that everybody should experience is communal living. BeiJing people share things in a way Americans don’t. Like toilets, and gossip!
I’ll probably miss the food here when I move back home. Dumplings are so cheap!
If I could enact one Chinese custom, policy or law back home, I think I’d like to bring back the Confusion virtue of community. Sometimes “we” are bigger than “I.”
On the other hand, given China has 5,000 years of history and the west only has 200, I couldn’t possibly say what we could teach China.
One BeiJing mistake you’ll never make again is taking an invite for traditional PeKing duck from a stranger. Some people told me I was hoodwinked when I paid RMB 2,000 for a small meal.
If my BeiJing home was on fire and I could only grab three things, I’d grab my harmonica, my ukulele, and my Chinese dictionary (in book form!).
Five years from now, I’d like to be the owner and manager of a thing tank. Or maybe writing for the New Yorker.
If I could give my pre-China self some advice it would be: "Speak Chinese like nobody is listening!"
READ: "I Handle House Chores Really Well While Intoxicated"
Image: Joshua Earle (via Unsplash)
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Re: Wudaokou Watch: "I Couldn’t Possibly Say What We Could...
Poor Todd Chaddington. Years from now, he'll find this post and realise how foolish he looks. That's, of course, provided that he's a real person and not a bot/troll created by a PR firm/Chinese twitter troll group.
To help him get there:
One thing that most people don’t know about America is that it is actually not the best country in the world. That’s cus no country is the best. I think we should celebrate all differences!
The appeal to cultural relativism belies one who never set foot outside his immediate circle to date.
If I could become a Chinese citizen I totally would. More passports, more freedom!
An unsurprising lack of knowledge of the PRC Nationality Law, as well as the restrictions on travel this could place on him. For his benefit, here's the unofficial English translation of the relevant article (8):
Article 8: Any person who applies for naturalization as a Chinese national shall acquire Chinese nationality upon approval of his application; a person whose application for naturalization as a Chinese national has been approved shall not retain foreign nationality. [Source]
One thing about Beijing that everybody should experience is communal living. BeiJing people share things in a way Americans don’t. Like toilets, and gossip!
Is "BeiJing" a different place from "Beijing"? Has he never been to a public toilet in the USA, nor read one of the many magazines near the register at US markets?
I’ll probably miss the food here when I move back home. Dumplings are so cheap!
Don't tell him about the wide Chinese diaspora in the USA!
If I could enact one Chinese custom, policy or law back home, I think I’d like to bring back the Confusion virtue of community. Sometimes “we” are bigger than “I.”
He appears to be exhibiting some "Confusion" - not the least of which is his stated impression that "we" means much outside a group (rather like in the USA - or has he not been to an American sporting event?)
On the other hand, given China has 5,000 years of history and the west only has 200, I couldn’t possibly say what we could teach China.
Todd purports to hail from Indianapolis, Indiana. The names "Indianapolis" and "Indiana" both directly reference the many Native American nations which once occupied the lands for well more than 200+ years of the USA's existence as a nation. But if "Todd" wishes to play this silly game: China has only around 70 years of history, not having come into being until 1949.
One BeiJing mistake you’ll never make again is taking an invite for traditional PeKing duck from a stranger. Some people told me I was hoodwinked when I paid RMB 2,000 for a small meal.
Todd isn't very good at making friends with strangers.
If my BeiJing home was on fire and I could only grab three things, I’d grab my harmonica, my ukulele, and my Chinese dictionary (in book form!).
Todd doesn't realise that he could purchase any of these things at an average Wudaokou market for far less than he could his laptop or mobile phone. Does he get out much in BeiJing?
Five years from now, I’d like to be the owner and manager of a thing tank. Or maybe writing for the New Yorker.
Evan Osnos, watch out.
If I could give my pre-China self some advice it would be: "Speak Chinese like nobody is listening!"
This explains many of his problems above.