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My generational views, although influenced by previous generations, are still unique to my own experiences with China. These influences include the many discussions and talks of Chinese, American politics I heard growing up as a child. My first and deepest-rooted preconceptions of China are that of a communist and evil China that threatens the position of power that is held by the US in the world. But as a child growing up in America during a time period in which China has changed immensely I see a positive future with China that some older generations might never have dreamed of. I see a China that is becoming more open and free with its trade and world relations. Whereas older generations only saw an isolated country that didn't want anything to do with our American way of life. All of these generational stereotypes may not be correct but are what I have interpreted throughout my growth and childhood.
As a citizen in the United States of America I have many values that are different and strange to those of the Chinese culture. This blurs my window even more. My values are deeply rooted and imbedded into my brain and way of thinking. The extreme differences in our two societies cause much conflict when trying to explore Chinese history and culture. I find it often times hard to understand such a foreign way of life. I am a very religious person and hold many of my strong religious beliefs close to my heart. To look into China and see a majority of the culture, which is not Christian and hasn't been for thousands of years, causes much conflict in my ability to interpret the actions of China. Why do they do things that seem so "immoral" in my eyes? This is a question that may not be easily answered and may not be easily put aside when looking into China. As a country we hold many things dear to our heart and are often times arrogant about our views. This carries over into our individual opinions of the other cultures around the world.