a chatting record between an american and a chinese

gougeman2003: Hello. How are things going?
Me: hi,dear friend, nice to meet you
gougeman2003: How is your day going?
Me: oh, just so so
gougeman2003: Why do you say that?
Me: i mean my days are the same as before.
Me: just going to work, and getting off work, eating , sleeping
gougeman2003: How is work going?
Me: oh, it's ok. just with a little payment.
gougeman2003: I know how that is.
Me: oh, thank you. the work is easy and free, just boring and little salary.
gougeman2003: That is bad!
Me: yes, but it's the truth.
gougeman2003: What did you eat for breakfast?
Me: oh, it's the noon in china now.
Me: i don't know how to spell the name of this food
Me: it's made of noodles.
gougeman2003: Is every food there in China made mainly of noodles?
Me: maybe you can say it's steamed noodles
Me: oh, no, there're a lot of different kinds of foods in china.
Me: rice, noodle, dumpling, so ybean juice, etc.
gougeman2003: Oh ok. I am curious. How popular is the sport of golf in China?
Me: oh, i think it's not very popular. at least i don't play golf.
Me: i think the golf is for the rich people.
gougeman2003: I see. I only know of one golf course in China. That is Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai.
Me: oh, yeah. i think you're right. shanghai is the most developed city in china.
gougeman2003: Even more developed than Bejing?
Me: oh, i think so. beijing is an old emperial city, but shanghai is a new city full of western culture.
gougeman2003: I have always wanted to visit Bejing and the Great Wall.
Me: oh, you're very welcome
Me: yes, if you want to know chinese traditional culture, maybe beijing is the best choice.
gougeman2003: How long does it take you to get to the nearest section of the great wall?
Me: oh, i'm very sorry, in fact i have never been to the great wall till now.
Me: i just went to beijing twice , and stayed in it for a very short time.
gougeman2003: I know the reason the great wall was built.
gougeman2003: It was built to protect China from invasions from the Mongolian army.
Me: oh, really?
Me: so wonderful. you're right . it started to be build by the emperor qin.
gougeman2003: Here is a bit of american history.
gougeman2003: What country gave the statue of liberty to the USA, and why did they give it to us?
Me: oh, maybe it's france.
Me: i don't know it so clearly
gougeman2003: France gave it to us in 1870 to celebrate the 100th aniversary of the USA becoming an independant country from England.
Me: oh, really? so great.
Me: in fact, the usa is always a wonderful dream for me.
Me: you know the usa is the most developed and wealthy country in our world.
gougeman2003: I believe it. I think China is second and England is third on that list.
Me: really? do you really regard china as such a wonderfu l place?
gougeman2003: I think any country that accepts american tourists is a wonderful place.
Me: oh, thank you. yes, you can go to china very easily.
Me: getting the visa to china for you--the usa people is such an easy thing. but for chinese, it's so difficult to get the visa to usa.
gougeman2003: You probably will not need a visa for the US if China becomes partners with the USA.
Me: oh, but i think it's impossible. because usa is the developed country, however, china is still a developing country.
Me: you're superior to us.
gougeman2003: I can see it happening. Your country's government has done nothing except friendly things for the US.
Me: oh, thank you so much.
gougeman2003: Not to mention, most of us are very interested in the chinese culture and history.
Me: oh, really?
Me: once a time, i like reading chinese poems very much. i think they are really very beautiful.
gougeman2003: They are saying that the ancient chinese have even predicted when the world would end.
Me: oh, i don't know about it clearly. but there's some knowledge about prediction in china. i don't know how to translate its name "tuibei tu" in english.
gougeman2003: Ancient Chinese and Modern Chinese are so different they are like two different languages.
Me: yes, you're right.
Me: the ancient chinese language is called "literary chinese".
Me: all the ancient chinese poems are written by literary chinese.
gougeman2003: They have not been able to completely translate the prediction because of the differences.
gougeman2003: interesting
Me: maybe you're right. in fact, i'm not good at literary chinese.
gougeman2003: They even have a chinese historian helping them.
Me: oh, i don't know about it. i just know in tang dynasty , china is one of the most developed countries in our world.
gougeman2003: What century was that in?
Me: oh, maybe it's about A.D. 600-700 years.
gougeman2003: I see. I know you name years after animals. What year are we in right now?
Me: oh, you mean my age,ok?
gougeman2003: I mean like year of the pig.
gougeman2003: I think last year was the year of the dragon.
Me: oh, 2009 is the year of rabbit
gougeman2003: Oh ok. What was last year?
Me: oh, no, i made a mistake. it 's the cow year.
Me: let me cheak about it.
gougeman2003: Ok.
Me: oh, it's the cow year in 2009.
gougeman2003: I see.
Me: the last year is mouse year, and the next year is tiger year.
gougeman2003: How does the dragon fit in Chinese culture?
Me: oh, dragon is the symbol o f power and beauty.
Me: dragon is the totem in chinese culture.
gougeman2003: What is the chinese word for dragon?
Me: 龙
Me: we call dragon as 龙.
gougeman2003: What is the direct translation for that?
Me: oh, no special meaning i t hink. it's just a name of a visionary animal in ancient chinese's mind.
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Me: dragon is a visionary animal, not a real animal in reality.
gougeman2003: I see,
gougeman2003: I know the Japanese word for dragon translates as winged lizard of mythology.
Me: oh, really? i don't know about japanese culture at all.
Me: in china, dragon is just dragon who owns boundless power, responsible to rain, helping
the harvest grow and flourish, etc.
Me: the peasant will ask for the dragon wing to rain in the chinese countryside.
gougeman2003: interesting
Me: yeah, but it's true. in fact, recently in our hometown, the peasants are asking for the dragon king to fall rain. because the weather is rather dry.
gougeman2003: Do you believe it will work?
Me: the harvest in the field needs rain so much. you know china is an agricultural country. there're a lot of peasants in china.
gougeman2003: Rice and pasta are the main things that come from China.
Me: oh, you mean in usa, the rice and pasta are mostly imported from china?
gougeman2003: Yes.
gougeman2003: along with a few other things.
Me: oh, yes, there're a lot of people being peasants.
Me: when i was a child, i also went to field, such as sowing seeds,etc.
gougeman2003: The main exports from the US are corn and wheat.
Me: we plant the wheat, millet , corn, cotton, beans.
Me: oh, really? are there many people being peasants in usa?
gougeman2003: There used to be, but not anymore.
Me: oh, but there're so many people being peasants in china still. and the lives of people in the countryside are always rather poor in china.
gougeman2003: We mainly use machines to plant our crops.
Me: oh, you're so developed.
gougeman2003: There are a few cities that still do it by hand.
Me: oh, i c. many times i hope i can be a white person i f i have another life.
Me: i fancy i can have the golden hair and blue eyes. i fancy i can be born in the most developed country in the world. but it's just a dream .
gougeman2003: Do you believe in reincarnation?
Me: oh,no, i have not any religions.
Me: but it's the truth i hate the traditional chinese marriage culture and system.
Me: it's the reason i can't find any chinese man to marry .
gougeman2003: Do they still allow men to marry multiple women at one time?
Me: oh, i have a problem, in t he usa, the racial discrimination is still serious?
Me: oh, no, i think i can't absolutely allow one man to marry more than one wife at one time.
gougeman2003: It is nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
gougeman2003: Back before the American Civil War, foreigners and black people was forced to be slaves to the white americans.
Me: oh, yes, after all,the president is a mixture of black and white now.
gougeman2003: They are saying that he is actually Hawaiian.
Me: but are you willing to marry a black woman as wife?
Me: it's said his father is from africa, a real black man . but his mother is a real white woman in usa.
gougeman2003: That is one of the things they are looking at right now. Some people say he is the first black president and some people say that he is not.
Me: oh, but his wife is a real black. i feel so strange, why did he marry a black instead of white woman?
gougeman2003: You would have to ask him that question.
Me: in your mind, you still feel the white is superior to the black?
Me: in fact, i like white people. i admire the golden hai r and blue eyes, i feel the white people are very beautiful and noble.
gougeman2003: Thee bible says that all men and women are created to be equal.
gougeman2003: I feel if she matched what i was looking for, i could marry a black woman.
Me: oh, yes, but sometimes i think maybe it's because i feel the countries full of white people are always the developed places.
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Me: africa full of black is a poor place.
gougeman2003: Egypt, Moroco, and South Africa are pretty well developed.
Me: really? you mean south africa is also a developed place,ok?
Me: oh, yeah. there's a lot of white people in egypt i think.
gougeman2003: johanasburg has been called the New York City of Africa.
Me: oh, i've never heard of this city. which country is it in?
gougeman2003: johahnasburg is the capital city of south africa.
Me: oh, i c. thank you.
gougeman2003: No problem.
Me: if i have another life, i wish i can be born in the usa. then i can see all the things in the world's view, instead of being tied by the single chinese culture.
gougeman2003: I know what you mean.
Me: yes, i hate being a chinese woman. because i can't find real love in china.
gougeman2003: Maybe your wish will come true one day.
Me: it's the reason i take great efforts to learn english , although i fail to learn it well, but i want to make friends all over the world .
Me: when i was a young girl, i fancied i could marry a foreign man to get rid of the chinese traditional marriage culture's bond.
Me: in chinese traditional culture, the man is superior to woman.
gougeman2003: We always say that if you see a shooting star, make and wish and it will come true.
Me: oh, really? once a time, i think you can say the love /family is all my religion.
Me: but now i feel the love/family is just similar to a kind of business.
Me: or you can say i don't bel ieve in the existence of re al love.
gougeman2003: I see where you are going with that. one night i wished upon a shooting star that i would find the right person, and the very next day i logged on here and met the girl that is now my girlfriend.
Me: oh, i c. you mean the jasmine from philippine,ok?
gougeman2003: Yes.
Me: you're so happy. oh, are there a lot of people being single all the life in usa?
gougeman2003: There are a few singles here in the US.
Me: in china, most of people must be married, or else they will regard you as a strange person. most of people will attack the single people such as me.
gougeman2003: That is horrible!
Me: they will look up you as the evil heathen.
Me: yes, it's the horrible chinese traditional culture.
Me: in china, family/ being ma rried is their religion. marriage is a must.
gougeman2003: I do not agree with becoming partners with another country and forcing them to change their culture, but that needs to happen there.
Me: yes, it's the reason i embrace the MLM culture from your country-usa so kindly.
Me: or else, if i don't marry any more, i'll be attacked by the traditional chinese people to death.
gougeman2003: It still might happen though, because we share our freedom of religion with our partner countries.
Me: oh, is it still normal if one person never marry?
gougeman2003: There are advantages to being married, but it is normal for people to remain single all of their life.
Me: oh, so wonderful in usa.
Me: yes, everyone knows being married is happy. but if one can't find the mr.right all the life, why do we have to force him/her to marry?
Me: but in china, most of people will force you to marry. or else,they regard you as the monster.
gougeman2003: Is that your version of our Satan, or the devil?
Me: oh, yes, i think so. all in all , before i keep in touch with MLM cultrue from usa, i' ll be nearly killed by the chinese traditional culture .
Me: there're a lot of people laughing at me, because i'm a poor and helpless single woman without any help and support from man.
gougeman2003: I believe that at the end of time, there will be a great big war between good and evil and the outcome of that war will determine the fate of the world.
Me: oh, yes, you're right.
Me: i don't know if the MLM culture is popular in the usa . but i embrace this kind o f culture very warmly.
gougeman2003: Our bible says that good will triumph over evil.
Me: oh, do you believe in the christian?
gougeman2003: I do very strongly.
Me: oh, but i have no any religion. of course, you can say formerly, the love/marriage /family is my religion.
Me: but now my religion has been broken, because i fail t o marry myself to anyone.
gougeman2003: As long as you believe in god, you will be destined to spend eternity in heaven.
Me: oh, but in most of chinese people, they don't believe in any god. we have no religion education.
gougeman2003: All cultures believe, in one way or another, that there is one supreme being that rules over all.
Me: and i also feel the the eternity is so ridiculous. i just think our fleshy body will be die someday.
gougeman2003: We believe that our body is just our earthly form that will die away. Our true selves never die and will spend eternity in heaven.
Me: oh, the idea is so freshy to me. i don't know. i just think when i die, my spirit will die away.
gougeman2003: Lets change the subject. I can go on for hours about my beliefs.
Me: it's the reason why chinese people always give presents to their parents so much .
Me: they just think parents are very great who can create and bring the new life to their child.
gougeman2003: We are similar. We believe god places our children in the mother's womb, but it is the mother who feeds and raises the child.
Me: oh, no, chinese just regard it's only parents who create the life itself ,not by god .
gougeman2003: Oh ok. I need to get some advise from god and our pastor to help you understand it better, so i need to end this conversation.
Me: oh, thank you so much.
gougeman2003: No problem. Talk to you tomorrow.
Me: ok, you're very welcome. i enjoy chatting with you so much. see you.
gougeman2003: bye