Brian Johnston: Two heads of the dragon

I am not suggesting that Chinese culture is without moral principle, but it is important to understand that preserving 'face' and also loyalty (e.g. filial piety), are important principles. Photo / Supplied

I have to admit to grimacing when I read articles written by newspaper reporters in New Zealand on China and Chinese culture.

This is not to imply that I think they don't try their very best to do a good job, but most Kiwis completely fail to appreciate that when it comes to China and the Chinese, the cultural differences are just so great that one cannot expect to stand off at a distance and come to any sort of balanced view, even if such a thing were possible.

An example of this appears in the first Herald article "Where everyone gets a Chinese bargain", in which a Warehouse manager's opinion on Chinese students as being hard working is reported as if it was of some significance, while on the very same day another article revealed the continuing problem of Chinese students paying money for fake educational qualifications.

Being married to a Chinese national and having worked in the education field within China for the last 10 years I can attest to the fact that what you are seeing in New Zealand is just the corollary of the much greater problem within China itself, where if you have the money, qualifications can be readily purchased, and whole universities in the lesser cities are devoted to providing degrees to students who have to do little more than pay the fees and turn up to some of the lectures. I personally know of failing students who have miraculously been awarded Fulbright scholarships, and of others whose families have paid up to one million yuan to networks of certain people who are in the business of providing the necessary documents which have allowed their son or daughter to get admittance to some of the world's most prestigious universities.

Insofar as a society is a reflection of the culture and beliefs of its people, these things which are envied as examples of "success" are a reflection of Chinese culture itself, a culture which largely centres on individual self-interest based on a foundation of making money and preserving "face" rather than on moral principle as we understand it. I am not suggesting that Chinese culture is without moral principle, but it is important to understand that preserving "face" and also loyalty (e.g. filial piety), even ethnic/racial loyalty, are much more important principles within Chinese culture than are truth/honesty or equality, which are the important moral principles in our Western tradition.

It's perhaps not surprising then to learn that within every level of Chinese society there is a ongoing crisis of trust. One very small recent example of this is that it has now been officially reported that 70 per cent of the Chinese population do not trust that the whole range of food products which they buy is actually safe to eat, and consequently those who can afford to do so travel to Hong Kong to buy large quantities of imported food.

Because Chinese society is comparatively very closed and self-protecting (i.e. loyal and face-saving), it's no easy task for most occidentals to gain/be allowed more than a very superficial view. Consequently I hope that more Kiwis with significant China experience such as those who have lived in China for more than three years, in addition to those very few Kiwi Chinese who have actually chosen to integrate into Kiwi society, will be encouraged to comment.

This later group comprises those Chinese who don't primarily identify as Chinese, and who have significant numbers of close Kiwi friends from another racial/ethnic group.

This kind of Kiwi Chinese will sometimes express the most surprising opinions at least in private (ethnic/racial loyalty may still preclude making public comment), such as "the big problem with Auckland is that there are too many Chinese living there", or "if you want to be successful in New Zealand then don't make Chinese friends".

If public comment can be obtained from this group of Kiwi Chinese then it might be helpful to counter the inevitable flood of accusations of racism which are sure to come, both from the various Chinese organisations and those Kiwis who are too narrow in their perspective to be able to see the bigger picture.

Actually in respect of the issues of racism and also exploitation perhaps it's worth pointing out here that when my Chinese wife and I spent 18 months in New Zealand recently, the only problems we encountered were with some Chinese landlords who wouldn't rent to us because they "didn't like Kiwis", and none of the numerous Chinese employers in Dunedin or Christchurch would offer my wife any more than one third of the legal minimum wage.

The competitive advantage that such businesses must enjoy is not too difficult for anyone to comprehend. Happily for my wife she did get appreciative employment with a Kiwi business in Christchurch, and on a legal wage.

Although my wife is a Chinese citizen I can never in reality become a Chinese citizen or obtain permanent residence here, so can never take part in the political process, let alone even freely take part in a public meeting such as a church service. In most of the hotels throughout the country I am not allowed to stay with my wife because I am a foreigner and they are not licensed to allow it.

In many ordinary day-to-day situations my wife is expected to show loyalty to her fellow Chinese rather than to her foreign husband. Wherever I go and whatever I do, I am continually reminded by the Chinese themselves that I am a foreigner. Perhaps the most significant argument then against New Zealand opening its doors to China and Chinese is that although the Chinese are a population of 1.3 billion people, they still take very careful measures to protect their own culture and position from foreigners - and in my opinion that is how it should be. We just need to have the sense to do the same in New Zealand.

Following the Chinese example there is no reason why such an approach shouldn't be seen by them to be perfectly equitable.

Honestly speaking, if we want to preserve our fledgling Kiwi identity of a multiracial group holding to, among other things, the same moral principles and rule of law, then we need to be better informed about the potential effects on our culture from other very disparate cultural groups and design polices appropriately.