China Q&A (2014): Carl Ji

Chinese national Carl Ji during his year-long
exchange in the UK in 2014

Although we cover almost exclusively topics directly or indirectly related to the Beijing Language and Culture University here on The BLCU Blog, just once in a while it's interesting to look further afield at China as a whole. We got in touch with one of our good friends, Carl Ji, a Chinese national from Shenzhen, to have a chat about the North-South divide, culture, Beijing, and education.

If nothing else, it may give you some talking points with your new (or old) BLCU friends. But above all, hopefully you find it interesting reading in its own right! Remember to check out the rest of our Q&A sessions here.

There is a saying in Chinese which goes, “If you want to be famous, go to the North (Beijing); if you want to be rich, go to the South (Shenzhen).” Can you tell us more about this?

Yes, especially for singers and actors that want to become famous, there is an idea engrained in the Chinese culture that they need to go to Beijing to have the best chance (in the same way that Americans for years, and still today, go to New York or Hollywood to find fame). By "North" in the context of the saying, really we are talking specifically about Beijing.

In Beijing there are many famous movie directors who will screen actors and hold auditions for new films and projects. Meanwhile singers will try to get a public audience and exposure by singing in places like the subway and major pedestrian tunnels (such as ones that go under large sections of road in busy areas). They hope a music agent will find them and offer them a record deal or opportunity to get rich.

In Chinese we refer to these struggling artists who have come to Beijing as "beipiao", or "Northern flutter". Their lives are hard and unstable. Some of them are forced to live in the back of cargo trucks or underground, either for free or for just a few RMB per night. These people are usually not Beijing locals, but rather from other provinces. Beijing is a big city full of people with big dreams.

Slightly off the topic, but if you look at a map of China, you can make out the outline of a chicken. Beijing is right about where the heart would be. The heart is the most vital organ in the body, pumping blood even to the brain. Without it the body would not function, and without Beijing China would not be China!

What are the main differences between Northern and Southern China from the point of view of the Chinese themselves?

Beijing is the political centre, whereas the south is the economic centre. This includes places like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and even Hong Kong (which now belongs to China again). There is more chance and opportunity for business in the south when compared with Beijing -- it is more fair. The stereotype is thus that more businessmen flock to the south, while more artists head to the north. Of course, it is just a stereotype, but there are elements of truth to it.

Let's look at my hometown: Shenzhen. In the south we believe there is less corruption here than in the capital. Beijing has so many high-ranking government officials, meaning that if you want to make a successful business there on a large scale, you need a lot more powerful contacts and handshakes than you do in the south. Coastal cities such as Shanghai are historically considered more open to business; these places have done trade with the outside world for generations. Beijing, by comparison, is much more tucked away into the mainland. For a long time it was hard for it to generate an international reputation. It's so far from the sea!

Regarding cuisine, in the south we eat much more rice, whilst in the north they prefer noodles and dumplings. There is also a perception of the difference between strong and light dishes (in terms of flavour), but that is more true of the light Guangdong palette than it is of the south as a whole.

Of course, one of the big differences is language: Putonghua in the north and Cantonese in the south. But if you want to really go into it deeper, you need to appreciate that every province has its own dialect (Sichuan-hua, Dongbei-hua, or Shanghai-hua -- these are just three examples).

As far as the physical characteristics of the people go, in the south they are considered on average quite short and thin, perhaps partly due to the difference in climate. Meanwhile, northerners are considered very strong. Some say that southerners are naturally more adept at business, but of course there is no scientific proof to such a claim! And it's easy to guess who came up with that one! The northerners call us "southern thieves" -- it's all in good humour. Of course translations differ in all of this.

Do you feel there is competition between the famous universities of the South and those in the North?

There is no doubt that the two most famous universities in China are from the north: one is Beijing (or Peking; Beida in Chinese) University, and the other is Tsinghua University. Everyone knows that. Do the south ever want to challenge the power of the north in terms of the reputations of their institutions? Sure, but it's hard.

One thing foreigners have to understand about the education system in China at university level is that they give preference to students from their own city. The marks required of a Beijing local to get into Beida are much lower than those set for students from southern provinces. If I want to go to Sun Yat-sen University in Shenzhen, it will be easier for me than for someone from outside Guangdong.

Historically, lots of China's most famous people have graduated from Beida and Tsinghua, which adds to the reputation. They are like the Oxford and Cambridge of China.

You can find Carl Ji on Weibo, Facebook, and see some of the photos from his travels on Flickr.

Carl Ji with the chairman of the Lancashire council in the UK

One last thing...

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