Be the Change: Listening to China

This post originally appeared on Akhila Kolisetty’s blog, Justice for All, on November 16, 2009, as part of a series in which many in our generation wrote about what the words “be the change” mean to us.  There are some really excellent comments on the original post!

I’ve lived in China for almost two and a half years.  This country has seen so much change in the past generation that it reminds me of a song I learned in elementary school: “the only thing that doesn’t change is change.”  I think that listening to stories is the best way for an outsider like me to understand and begin to take part in these changes.

Here’s one such story, from a project inspired by the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs.  My friend Rich Brubaker is a prolific social entrepreneur, professor, consultant and blogger.  He recently asked ten of his interns to interview workers on the streets of Shanghai about their jobs and dreams for the future.   Here’s one example:

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Q: If there was one thing you could change about your job, what would it be?
A: Change? It is such a luxury to me. How can I dream about changing my current status? I want to do my own business, like opening my own restaurant, but who will give me the money? I want to recruit and train my employees, but who will teach me how to manage or run my place? I dare not think of change. I guess my only hope is my son. He is the one can bring real changes.

I highly recommend checking out the handful of other interviews that are up so far, as well as the comments.

What I find amazing about these interviews, and my own similar conversations, is the optimism and hope and complete absence of self-pity that shine through the words.  A common phrase in Chinese is “chi ko,” which translates to eat bitterness, or do what needs to be done.  I see this every morning when I stroll through the hutong to my office, and chat with a friendly middle-aged lady who sorts and bundles trash.  She asks me if I’ve eaten; I ask if she’s been busy (a common conversation pattern in Chinese.)  Her answer is always the same and always delivered with a smile: “if I’m not busy I have nothing to eat.”

Conversations like these are where getting involved with social change begins.  I think it’s important to develop a a strong sense for the priorities, goals, and thought processes of the local community.  This takes time.  It takes trust.  It takes language lessons.  It takes understanding that there’s not one single story.  It takes misunderstandings and re-explanations and identifying preconceived notions.  It takes a keen awareness of personal strengths.

In my time in China, I’ve been lucky enough to work with five different organizations, involving education, microfinance, and corporate social responsibility.  All of these jobs have been related to social change in some sense, regardless of the sector.  My friends here in Beijing have done amazing work in clean transportation, theatre, microfinance, sustainable energy, gay rights, showcasing the impact of global warming through ice sculptures, and so much more.  These are foreigners that have taken the time to really understand the local conversation in their respective area of focus.  (I have also met Chinese activists, but since I think that Akhila’s readers are mostly outside China I’m focusing on the roles foreigners have played.)

I am grateful for the opportunities China has given me, to learn, to listen, and to broaden my sense of social change.  Xie xie!