“When I first stepped into this city, I felt a sense of déjà vu. These new surroundings are supposed to be strange to me, but at its core, it is not so different from the one I have dreamed of many times.” said Jandy, an American-born Chinese with dark eyes and yellow skin.
Last summer Jandy came to NIT with the purpose of exploring Chinese culture and exchanging ideas with Chinese college students, and she hoped to get to know more about China all by her own experience, instead of the information provided by parents, friends, and mass media. As Jandy put it, "I personally have seen this special summer social practice as an unprecedented opportunity, an opportunity to broaden my understanding of China and Chinese culture.’’
As a matter of fact, she put her thoughts into practice. In addition to classroom participation and presentation on culture, Jandy joined the local students’ summer social practice program titled Ningbo’s Image in the Eyes of Expatriates. The purpose of this program was to explore the city image in the eyes of foreigners working and living in Ningbo so as to offer suggestions to promote the Ningbo’s international image. She contributed ideas for the authentic interviews with foreigners, and took buses to meet the interviewee despite the hot weather.
The willingness of this lovely ABC girl to participate in the program stimulated Chinese college students to cultivate the deep desire of finding out what exactly China is and uncover the profound reasons that why expatriates love China. During the process of this ongoing project, the Chinese students have realized that the rapid development of China has put the dreams of expatriates on the stage and provided great opportunity. Meanwhile the participation of this program has allowed Jandy to learn about China from a brand-new angle. By the end of this project, Jandy pointd out that the most distinguishing factor of Chinese young people is their great desire to be engaged in this changing age, their enthusiastic interaction among each other and their open-mindedness to know the outside world.
People from all corners of the world have never stopped asking the question of what exactly Chinese Dream encompasses. Jandy and the team members established that it includes the promising citizen, the wonderful mainland, the outstanding lifestyle of the public, and the persistent pursuit of happiness that contribute most to the significant Chinese culture. In the past 3 decades, the generation of the year 60's and 70’s recognized the value of settlement in the United States, and so did Jandy's parents. They went to America not only carrying the "American Dream" but also the Chinese culture. "With regard to the state of the economy in the future, it is well accepted that China may well be the next world superpower. Thus I believe the fulfillment of "Chinese Dream is well on the way." said Jandy.
