My Fourth Interview

Interview with Zhang Zhao 

My Fourth Interview

Interview Preparations:

This was going to be my first interview with Zhang, a Chinese international student at the Saint Cloud State University. I was very eager and enthusiastic about the whole interview and two weeks prior to the day; I did not get any response from China as I needed this interview to be a one on one with a native Chinese Speaker. At campus, I had seen many Chinese international students but there was none from my class. My big break in trying to establish contact with one student who I had seen several times in the Journalism club came when I found out he was my neighbor’s friend. Jane, who is my neighbor, organized a meeting between Zhang and me after I explained my mission to her. Following our initial meeting and arrangements, we agreed to meet at the library lounge Tuesday, December 3 2013. I brought along my tape recorder as agreed.

Interview Report

Since the weather on that day was chilly, the warm indoors atmosphere appeared perfect for the interview. The interview involved answering a series of questions. I was surprised by the articulation of answers by Zhang and his mastery of English, despite it being his second language. Another thing that surprised me was the eagerness by Zhang to clarify all the misconceptions that the West has about the Chinese people and culture, he even arrived at our said venue before the agreed time. After exchanging pleasantries, I went ahead to ask the questions that I had prepared and was quite satisfied with the response and answers I got.

Country Report:

In preparation for the interview, I had conducted my personal background check and brief study on China. This was in no way meant to disapprove what the interviewee would tell me, but just as a way of corroborating the information, I would get from him with what I had. It was very important for me to conduct this interview in order to get a first-hand report from a Chinese native. 

Officially, China is referred to as the People’s Republic of China just as Zhang confirmed to me (Benewick, & Donald, 2009). It is a sovereign nation and is located in the region known as East Asia. The capital city of China is Beijing and by last year’s census, it had a population of 1.351 billion people making it the world’s most populous nation (Dorosheff, 2010). It is also good to note that, it is the third largest country in the world with an area of 9, 600, 000 square kilometers (Economy, & Oksenberg, 2009).

China has a long, as well as rich history of traditions and culture. Earliest humans are believed to have evolved on their land. China was once ruled by dynasties with the first being the Xia dynasty dating back to about the 21^st century BC (Wei, 2005). The dominant cultural and economic model for around 4000 years was feudalism with the monarchy being brought to an end in 1911, through a revolution led by one Sun Yat-sen. The republic was formed in 1949, on October 1.

China is host to diverse groups of people, and has a very distinctive as well as resplendent customs and culture. China has given to the world four great inventions namely the paper, the compass, printing, and gunpowder. It has unique and distinctive arts and crafts such as calligraphy, painting, silk and embroidery, as well as operas. Another part of Chinese culture for many years has been martial arts and their rich heritage in literature. Finally yet importantly, Chinese cuisine is a common export to nearly all parts of the globe making it a renowned place of heritage.   

Interview Transcription

Me: Please tell me something about yourself.

Zhang: My name is Zhang Zhao and I am eighteen years old and taking a course in Anthropology studies at the Saint Cloud State University.

Me: Does your name have a specific meaning?

Zhang: Yes. In China, names are given according to seasons or events in the past or even present circumstances (Cheng, & Curtis, 2010). My name Zhang Zhao is one phrase, which means praise, be to the giver.

Me: Quite interesting, would you mind to tell me why you were named so?

Zhang: Not at all. You see at the time of my birth, our village experienced bounty harvest and the term on everyone’s lips was 赞美是送礼者 translated to my family (surname-Zhang) and my given (first name-Zhao). We do not have a middle name.

Me: What influenced your choice of the USA as a destination for your study?

Zhang: Unlike China where population is extremely high thinning out opportunities, I figured and it is indeed true that the United States has many opportunities for me as I enhance my life. I also felt the need to be independent as the teenagers in America are, so I started doing my own stuff.

Me: You happened to mention that you took an intensive English program. Why was this?

Zhang: This was in order to improve my skills in English as well as writing which I have observed is a major focus in schools here in the U.S. The English classes here are fun as well with the presentations where I felt good to express my feelings and research on topics that interested me (Liao, 2006).

Me: Thank you for such insight. Most of us take it for granted and we need to change.

Zhang: You are welcome.

Me: Going back to China, what is your hometown?

Zhang: My hometown is Guangxi in the central-east part of China.

Me: What is the most common form of transportation there?

Zhang: The people in my hometown use boats as a means of transportation from ancient times due to the presence of River Li, which links us to some other major towns both up and down the river. However, within the town donkeys are the best for mobility as ours is a rural setting.

Me: How do people communicate with each other in your country?

Zhang: The major form of communication is of course speech with the official spoken language being Standard Chinese and the official written language being Vernacular Chinese from the calligraphy.

Me: Is there body language? And what does it mean?

Zhang: The most common form of body language is through dance, which indicates festivity.

Me: Are there any festivals or holidays in your home country?

Zhang: Indeed China has a number of festivals ranging from traditional to public holidays. We have the Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Qixi Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival to mention but a few.

Me: How do people usually celebrate?

Zhang: Depending on the purpose of celebration, we have dances, carnivores, state functions in large stadia, and of course a lot of feasting on traditional Chinese cuisine.

Me: Talking of cuisine, what is the most common food and when do people like to share it?

Zhang: The staple food in China is rice, which depending on the method of preparation, can be shared by the whole family at any meal of the day.

Me: How many religions are there and how do people practice them?

Zhang: China has three major religions or doctrines, which are Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism (Huang, 2007). The people practice their religion by offering sacrifices to ancestors and gods as well as in various customs and traditional cultures of the local communities. 

Me: How is the economy in your country?

Zhang: China has a strong economy, which is very stable with a huge global market share and citizens enjoying income as well as class equality.

Me: What does your country export?

Zhang: The main exports from China are cars, electronics, and machinery.

Me: Is it a developing country?

Zhang: Definitely no. China is one of the top developed nations in the world.

Me: What do you miss the most in China?

Zhang: I miss my whole family as well as my childhood friends.

Me: While here in America, where do you live and with whom?

Zhang: I live here in Saint Cloud with my uncle who came to the U.S. in the early 50s.

Me: How do you usually spend your free time?

Zhang: I like playing basketball although am just an amateur as well as participating in the debate club and practicing some journalism.

Me: Do you have any questions?

Zhang: No, thank you.

Me: Thank you for answering my questions and it was my pleasure to have had this great conversation with you.

Zhang: You are welcome.

References

Benewick, R. & Donald, S. (2009). The State of China Atlas. Berkeley, Calif.: University of          California Press.

Cheng, L. & Curtis, A. (2010). English language assessment and the Chinese learner. New           York,   NY: Routledge.

Dorosheff, D. (2010). Chinese American and Japanese American College Students' Perceptions    And Attitudes. New York, NY: Routledge.

Du Halde, J. (n.d.). The General history of China.

Economy, E. & Oksenberg, M. (2009). China Joins The World. New York, NY: Council on          Foreign Relations Press.

Huang, R. (2007). China. Armonk, N.Y [u.a.]: M.E. Sharpe.

Liao, Y. (2006). Food and festivals of China. Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers.

Wei, L. (2005). Chinese Festivals. Beijing: China International Press.