What aspects of Chinese culture can succeed overseas? Matthew DiGiovanni, an Australian statistician working in Melbourne and Beijing The common good I think the positive side of Chinese economic thinking will start to have more appeal overseas, as the rotten edifices of the kind of free market capitalism the West has energetically promoted or imposed for the past three decades begin to crumble. This stems from both the socialist origins of the PRC, and the collectivist ethos of traditional Chinese culture. Chinese thinkers have always World of Warcraft power leveling, been concerned about ways to ensure that everyone got a fair share, but perhaps more importantly, most Chinese are only a generation or two removed from World of Warcraft power leveling the countryside. Rural life certainly had its disadvantages, but it encouraged thinking about the good of the whole of the village, not just oneself. Wealth in China has seldom been associated with virtue or ability; the Chinese recognize the unfairness of life, and acknowledge that a well-run society can play a powerful role in correcting it. Look at the calls for social welfare, redistribution of wealth, and a just society that permeate the Chinese Internet, and contrast it with the numerous cries on the US Internet to take away the rights of others, be they Hispanic immigrants, married gay couples, or Muslims. It might seem odd to say so at a time when Chinese welfare is badly in need of reform, the wealth gap is dividing society, and the arrogance and greed of the nouveau riche here is growing. But people here still assume that redistribution of wealth, giving disadvantaged groups a helping hand, and providing social welfare for everyone are innate goods, and the rightful business of the government. It's a far cry from the US or Australia, where rising social inequality seems to be taken for granted by many as the "natural" state of affairs, rather than something created by a generation of policies designed to help the rich and screw the poor. That mode of thinking, however, is looking increasingly outdated in the wake of the financial crisis. At the moment the backlash to that seems to be an unfocused, often fanatical anger last chaos gold, but if China can build a society that's both prosperous and focused on the collective rather than the individual good, it can be a model for the world. Simone Beindorf, a German citizen working in HR in Qingdao, Shandong Province Helpfulness In recent times last chaos gold, various aspects of Chinese culture have been adopted overseas. Chinese restaurants increasingly offer a version of Chinese dishes adapted to Western tastes. But there is one part of Chinese culture that should not be ignored but highly appreciated: the helpfulness of Chinese people. Before departing for China, I was given "advice" for handling the potential cultural differences I would have to face. For example, "If you ask for the direction, always try to ask three people. If two of them tell you the same direction, it might be true. Chinese people do not confess if they do not know because this would mean they would lose face." However, when asking for directions in China, in most cases I did not even have the chance to ask another person because the other would go to the trouble of taking me there himself or herself. There are a plethora of examples demonstrating the willingness of Chinese people to help foreigners. For instance, I remember buying a ticket at aoc power leveling, the bus station, misunderstanding what the vendor was trying to explain, then being helped by the girl queuing behind me, or trying to find a youth hostel in Hangzhou aoc power leveling and being helped by the security guard of another hotel who phoned the hostel in order to ask for the way. In general the helpfulness of Germans cannot be compared with that of the Chinese. Germans are most used to hiding behind a newspaper while on the train, immediately putting in the MP3 headphones to dispel any possibility of being talked to by a stranger, averting one's gaze to the floor when somebody asks you the way, in the best case mumbling "Sorry, I do not know." We often use excuses like "I am in a hurry today" or "I am not sure of the way", but actually we should follow the example set by the Chinese. Quincy Angol, a civil engineer working with the Dominican Pavilion at the World Expo Generational connection I share something with aoc power leveling, many Chinese I know. I was raised by my grandparents, not by my parents. It's quite common in my home country. Even kids who live with their parents usually have at aoc power leveling least one set of grandparents either sharing the house, or living nearby. In China, of course, it's very common. However, this might not be all good. Sometimes it leaves children disconnected from their parents, rather than closer to the whole of their family. But I think mostly it's positive. It means kids have a sense of where they come from, and the values of their family and culture. Grandparents also tend to be more Final Fantasy XI GIL, understanding of their grandchildren. After all, they've already been through kid-raising once, that they have the experience and skills to make it easier the second time round. And, especially in countries like China where Final Fantasy XI GIL there's so much heaped on kids by their parents, grandparents are better at just letting children be children. They can give the kids space that they need to develop and be themselves. Like I said, this is something that other cultures already do, but I hope that this idea of learning from and being with the elderly will go beyond that. Sara Olsen, a Danish student finishing her MA studies in East Asian philosophy Philosophy Chinese philosophy has been popular in the West for a long time, at least among the intelligentsia. The first translations of Chinese classics in the 18th and 19th centuries influenced generations of Western thinkers, from Voltaire's idealized Confucianism to German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer's musings on Buddhism. China's philosophical traditions, from Daoism to neo-Confucianism, are among the richest in the world. I believe the next decade or so will see a major revival in interest in Chinese philosophy in other countries, both ancient and modern. I say this for several reasons. One is that the Chinese government is making deliberate efforts to promote Chinese way of thinking, through programs such as the Confucius Institute. Another is that aion kinah, the interest in non-Western philosophers has grown considerably in recent years. Philosophy is one of the few non-scientific disciplines where modern China has aion kinah produced serious thinkers. In turn, Chinese thought is being increasingly influenced by Western philosophers, from traditional thinkers like David Hume to modern ones like Kwame Anthony Appiah. Chinese ethical and governmental philosophy is also playing an important role in determining China's future, giving philosophy a major role it plays in very few countries. China is in the middle of serious debate about important questions, like: What are the responsibilities of the rich? How should we govern, and be governed? Is clinging to old models of the family a good or bad thing? Understanding the role of philosophy in these questions, which will help determine the future of 1.3 billion people, is vital not just for China, but for every nation interested in China's future. Nick Vogt, a US PhD candidate studying at a Beijing-based university