I don't know if you have noticed that Chinese is very popular in the elite circles of Europe and America.
Recently, a highly anticipated topic has emerged on Twitter - Musk, who plans to work 996, achieve 007 work efficiency, and lay off 50% of entrepreneurs. His Chinese expression is admirable. When the World Food Programme of the United Nations called on him to donate $6 billion to solve the global food crisis, Musk quoted Cao Zhi's seven step poem: "Boil beans and burn the bean basket, and the beans cry in the pot. They all grow from the same root, so why bother frying each other?" This poem expresses people's thinking about global issues. Different things should be of the same origin, why harm each other?
Musk is clearly implying that poverty alleviation can be achieved, but not by robbing the rich to help the poor. Musk's understanding of Chinese is clearly not just superficial, he also deeply understands Chinese culture. In an interview show, the host asked Musk, "How do you view the situation faced by entrepreneurs of Chinese technology or internet companies?"
Musk touched his chin, lost in thought, and then answered, "Where is Jack Ma?" This brief answer may not seem to directly answer the question, but in reality it is implied. This sentence reflects his deep understanding of Chinese culture. Musk's learning of Chinese is not only limited to the language level, but has also been integrated into culture.
Besides Musk, you may still remember at the end of 2017, before Trump's visit to China, he recorded a video where his five-year-old granddaughter, Alabella, recited the Three Character Classic, Tang poetry, and sang a Chinese folk song called "Jasmine Flower", which brought great favor to Chinese netizens. Arabella is the daughter of Ivanka and Kushna, her mother is a pure American, and her father is Jewish. There are no Chinese people in this family, but their daughter has been learning Chinese since childhood, truly practicing the concept of "learning Chinese, starting from a child".
Another tech giant in Silicon Valley, Zuckerberg, married a Chinese American wife, and it's amazing that even if he didn't specifically study Chinese, he could still speak fluent Chinese. Considering that Pelosi's husband and son have been engaged in business in Hong Kong, China for over a decade, we can believe that they also have a considerable understanding of Chinese culture. However, what surprised me most was that an Italian astronaut who was working on the International Space Station quoted the sentence in the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection written by Wang Xizhi on his personal social account: "Look up at the universe and observe the prosperity of products, so you can see the world, enjoy the sights, and believe in cola.".
I once memorized the full text of this article during my student days, but after graduating from high school, I returned it to Wang Xizhi. I am very shocked that an Italian astronaut could quote a literary work with a magnificent style like "Preface to the Lanting Collection". This astronaut's name is Samantha Christoferti, and she is the first female astronaut in Italy. She learned Chinese out of a strong interest in the Chinese space station, which will be open to the world.
Samantha Christoferti is an experienced astronaut who hopes to become a member of the European astronaut team stationed on the Chinese space station. Prior to this, she had gone to the Chinese astronaut training base for learning. Before coming to China, she worked hard to learn Chinese and was already able to speak fluent Chinese. She cited "Preface to the Lanting Collection" because she had a close sinologist friend. Before departure, the friend suggested that she quote this sentence from "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection". It can be seen that she has carefully prepared this "Chinese show" with the aim of pleasing the Chinese people and creating opportunities for herself to enter the Chinese space station in the future. Although there is a certain utilitarian mentality involved, I welcome it.
Here, you will find that Chinese is considered a high-level culture in European and American countries. Ordinary people in Europe and America lack interest in Chinese, neither learning ancient Chinese poetry nor singing "Jasmine Flower". Firstly, this is because Chinese is indeed difficult for most ordinary people in Europe and America to master. Secondly, for them, Chinese is not a commonly used language, and learning it has no practical use for them.
However, in the elite circles of Europe and America, the situation is completely different. China has become an indispensable part in fields such as politics, commerce, aerospace, and technological research. China and the United States are not only the two largest economies in the world, but also the strongest competitors. With Russia's decline, China and the United States will become the undisputed core of the global game. Other countries need to take action more or less around China and the United States.
Learning Chinese, starting from childhood, is a wise decision made by European and American elites based on the judgment of China's future global influence enhancement. They focus on the future and plan education for the next generation. We can observe that most Chinese people learn English passively. Because learning English is often to prepare for the college entrance examination, I give up after the exam. However, European and American elites have a stronger initiative in learning Chinese. Their motivation stems from their understanding of China's interests. Businessmen learn Chinese in order to gain business opportunities in China. Politicians learn Chinese in order to gain a deeper understanding of China, learn about China, and have a reverence for China. Even learning Chinese may become a necessary skill for astronauts. Because the International Space Station is scheduled to retire in 2028, even if its lifespan is extended, China's space station is expected to become the only human space station in the near future due to its latecomer advantage.
Based on the above content, we can conclude that the popularity of Chinese in the elite circles of Europe and America is mainly driven by interests. This proactive cultural dissemination reflects a judgment of China's future global influence and a concern for China's interests. In contrast, Chinese people's learning of English is mainly passive dissemination, originating from English education before the college entrance examination and the intangible indoctrination of English cultural products. However, this mode of transmission also leads to a universal problem: learning English seems to be a necessity, but it cannot be truly applied in real life after studying.
The emphasis of European and American elites on learning Chinese is practicality, which is related to China's vast foreign trade system and the attractiveness of cutting-edge technology. They realize the important position of China in international trade, and learning Chinese can help them better cooperate and communicate with Chinese people. In addition, China's rapid development in the field of technology has also attracted the attention of European and American elites, who hope to have deeper cooperation and communication with Chinese technology experts and innovators through learning Chinese. Therefore, they place more emphasis on practicality and close integration with China's economy and technology in their learning of Chinese.
Indeed, for European and American elites, learning Chinese directly affects their career and future, so not learning Chinese will face certain difficulties. In addition, overseas Chinese have played an important role in promoting Chinese language. Many outstanding Chinese people have entered the elite circles of Europe and America, and they have played a strong driving force in learning Chinese among them.
As native speakers and cultural inheritors of Chinese, overseas Chinese have unique language advantages and cultural insights, which can convey important values of in-depth understanding of Chinese culture and language to European and American elites. Their successful cases in various fields have also provided motivation and role models for European and American elites to learn Chinese. Therefore, the influence of overseas Chinese on promoting Chinese and learning Chinese in the elite circles of Europe and America cannot be ignored.
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