From the Readers

China and rest of the world

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-10 09:30

Comment on "OK, everyone squeeze in" (China Daily, June 4, 2010)

The interesting article shows the problems and challenges that the six astronauts who have been selected for Mars 500 Mission will face.

The report says that Wang Yue will feel more pressure than the others because "he comes from a cultural background more distinct than the other five". Such comments are present in almost all the articles I have read on the Internet.

The Chinese authors divide the world in two: "we" Chinese, and "you" the rest of the world. One article says Wang would encounter different habits in his daily life. Another says there would be a conflict between Chinese culture and Western culture.

The Russian will miss his goulash, the Italian-Colombian his cheese, the Chinese his mian tiao and the French his croissant and coffee. When will the Chinese understand that there is not one but several Western cultures? Russian culture is different from French, as French culture is different from Italian to which the other astronauts belong.

In the experimental module, people of four different cultures will live side by side, and Wang's culture is not more peculiar or more distinct than any of the others.

Moreover, Wang, at 26 is the youngest in the team. Therefore, he has greater ability to adapt to situations.

Lisa Carducci, via e-mail

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(China Daily 06/10/2010 page9)