Richard Johnson- An Old Friend of China

At the outset as a foreigner in China, Richard felt that it was difficult for most foreigners to get along with Chinese people. Americans were straightforward, while Chinese people usually spoke in an indirect way, and they were much more prudent about what they would say. Richard has managed to learn to communicate with Chinese people. Now he has mingled well into Chinese society, and he loves China.

"Look at me - I act like an American, but I'm not totally American. Part of my personality is actually Chinese." Richard has been deeply affected by Chinese culture. He said that one of the most important things about living in China is to understand the "relationship" - guanxi in Chinese. "You have to mix with the Chinese people, observe their behaviour, and ask questions. You have to figure out how the system works here, which is significantly different than in America. This is cross-cultural communication."

"Part of my personality is actually Chinese" - Richard

Now, Johnson is teaching a third-year writing course. Being asked how to improve the students' writing skill, Richard gave his opinion - do more reading. He finds that lots of students keep using the same words and expressions in their writing tasks instead of trying something different. He recommended some excellent reading materials such as Newsweek, Time and China Daily which would be beneficial to students' writing. Reading on line is also a good choice.

"Chinese students study very hard. I often see their enthusiasm and energy. They are eager for knowledge, which is very different from many American students." Johnson spoke highly of his students.

Besides academic study, Richard believes that students should have a favourable out-of-class life, for example, taking part in activities and going out of the campus for relaxation at weekends. It's a popular idea that nowadays, university students are under great pressure like gaining high grades and finding jobs. For those students who are suffering from heavy pressure, Richard shared his own view, "You're just at the beginning of your life and when you look back in the future, you'll find not everything happens today is totally important."

In terms of personal hobbies, Richard laughed, "My favourite hobby is to watch DVDs while correcting students' papers." As a foreign teacher, Richard is so busy that he has had to give up some of his hobbies. He used to go hiking and play basketball, but not any more. However, he still spends some time watching NBA games, especially the games of his home team - the San Antonio Spurs.

Having lived in China for almost eighteen years, Richard said that he will someday go back America. We hope that Richard enjoys his time in China and China leaves this old friend a beautiful memory.