Common Misconception Response #6 - Final

Misconception: All Chinese are clever and study all the time

Dear Lady,
I'm glad tor receive your letter. I am happy you said we Chinese children are clever in the last letter, but it is not because we study in class all day long as you think. I think this is your misconception about China.
The education between our two countries is different. Though for one thing, it may be the same I think, that we study in school for at least 10 hours everyday. Isn't it? The distance between us isn't how long we study, but the way we learn in class. In class, all of us have the same textbook, and what the teacher teach us is all from it. We need to read some important passages many times until we can recite it. We also need to learn the passage wrote by ancient people, which is different from now. Certainly, there are a lot of formulas of physics, math, and chemistry we need to remember. So we must do many exercises. Because everyone wants to enter a good university, we should get a high score in the entrance exams. It's very hard. We must work hard for it, so we spend most of our part time on studying.
I think above is the reason you have the misconception about China. We are all clever the difference is just which concept we express. I wonder if you have desire to learn more about China. If you have, I'm glad to help you whenever you have met difficulties.
Love Monica

Misconception: Asian parents exercise more control and less warmth with their children.

Dear Jamie,
Nice to meet with you! I must tell you, I think the former part of this sentence is right in some cases. In some cases, when children are young, their parents send them to attend many interesting classes like piano, drawing, or swimming, and always make certain decisions despite how their children might think. They think it is good for our future, so we must do it. Although every parent want their children to succeed, but sometimes is what they do to prevent their children from growing up happily.
But the last part, I don't agree with that. No parents don't love their children, oppositely, Asian parent give too much love to their children. But now, the attitudes changing. Many parents try to touch their children the correct way. They ask their children to earn money by themselves so that they children can learn that they should value their happy life and so on. So things are not always the same.
Sincerely, Zoe

***Note: It seems like Zoe may have misunderstood a little, though she reveals a lot here. In the little exposure to the Chinese family I have, the use of control is revealed in constant pressure to succeed. Working hard in school, getting good grades on the college entrance exam, getting into a good college, getting good grades in college so you can get a good job that makes a lot of money. This mentality appears to be universal in all Chinese families, but the children characteristically view this attitude as the parent's expression of love, and attempt to honor them through their success. Many of my students tell me they want to make a lot of money so they can take care of the parents who love them so much. Verbal expressions of love, "I love you" are few and far between in the Chinese family.