Featured Story
Notes from China
A Westerner’s Experience in the people’s republic
Interview by Nicole Pugh
Photography and Commentary by Josh Sullivan
The People’s Republic of China is the most populous country in the world, with about one-fifth of the world’s people housed within its borders. Since economic reforms began in the late 1970s, the country’s increasingly open markets have brought worldwide investments into China, making it an “emerging superpower.” Economic reforms have brought opportunity to an increasing number of business owners and have helped millions step out of poverty. Currently, the country’s economy continues to grow, but so do its social and economic problems. There is a widening divide between the rich and the poor, especially between urban-dwellers and those who live in the country. An increasingly aged population also adds to the many issues that face the Chinese people in the years to come. Twenty-nine year old Josh Sullivan, a photographer and teacher originally from San Diego, has lived, taught, and worked in Bejing for the last three years. Through his images and words, he shows a country rich in cultural diversity and economic and social contradiction. He also speaks about what it is like for an American to live in China during this time of change and growth.
Vision Magazine: Why did you decide to live in China?
Josh Sullivan: I came to Beijing in 2004 and found it to be an amazing place. I decided to come back a few months later and live here for an indefinite amount of time by teaching English. I have now moved on from teaching [and] work for a property management company.
China is a very unique place, especially from the perspective of someone like myself who loves history. [The country] is currently in a compressed and jumbled-up state of industrialization. I get to see things first hand—customs and aspects of civilization that would have been commonplace in the West from the 19th century to the 21st. [For example], I regularly see some variation of the following situation: a Lexus or BMW stopped at an intersection next to a tattered Chinese-made car, a horse-draw cart full of bricks, a bunch of bicycles, and a three-wheeled flatbed bike with anything [on it] from recyclables and beer bottles to computers and coal used in a lot of houses as a source of heat and fire for cooking. It fascinates me to see that kind of diversity and contrast on a daily basis. It’s like living from 1850 until now in the U.S., but all at the same time.
VM: What about your time in China has made the biggest impression on you?
JS: Living immersed within another culture teaches you an incredible amount about not just that culture, but also the rest of the world, the human race, yourself, and your own country. Seeing another culture as “an outsider from the inside” gives you a much different perspective. I [had] made certain conclusions about Chinese culture and then found them to apply to American culture…Propaganda is a big one. I never believed that propaganda [didn’t exist] in the U.S. However, living here where is it jumping out at you on every street corner made me say to myself, “Oh my, in the U.S. we don’t have that! Wait a minute—yes we do. It is just a bit different!” I have also come to realize just how greedy and selfish human nature is (which is just animal instinct applied to the animals we are). I have also seen the amazing tenacity for survival humans possess. Maybe this is all part of getting older and I would have come to these conclusions regardless of where in the world I happened to be. 
VM: Besides the obvious language difference, how else is life in China different than in the United States?
JS: There is a much larger proportion of the population that is very poor in China than in the U.S. And the way the different classes treat one another still amazes me. Waiters, waitresses, or just members of the lower classes in general are looked down upon and are treated very disrespectfully, as if they are less human. China is currently undergoing huge changes—I have noticed this in the three years I have been here. There is an increase in the middle class and the proportion of car owners. At the same time, the highway infrastructures are all much less developed than they are in the U.S.
VM: How is life the same as it is in U.S.?
JS: People enjoy seeing friends and family just as in the U.S. The concept of “keeping up with the Joneses” is prevalent. However, there aren’t many Joneses here. “Keeping up with the Zhangs” would be more applicable!
VM: Can you tell us a little about the music scene you are involved in there?
JS: There has been a punk scene developing in China since the mid to late 90s. I think it is pretty much the same as it is in the U.S. However, with fewer bands, it’s almost exclusively limited to Beijing. There is a bit more emphasis on fashion here. [Also], due to the language barrier, the average Chinese punk rocker doesn’t know much about punk outside China, besides a few band names.
VM: Are there any perceptions about China or the Chinese that you may have had before that have now changed since living there?
JS: I never saw China as being as diverse as it really is before I came here. Buddhism is definitely the most common religion. However, Islam is huge. There is even a significant number of Christians in China. Without a doubt, the biggest change in my perception of China would have to be [about the] language. There are hundreds of local languages in addition to the innumerable dialects of Mandarin. Some languages are written with the same system of characters and some have their own character set. It says “China People’s Bank” in five different languages on Chinese paper money. Mandarin is the official language of China and a vast majority of the population speak it, although it is not necessarily everyone’s first language. I speak Mandarin relatively well. [Yet], it amazes me, when I travel, how much difficulty my girlfriend, [a native speaker], and I have communicating with the locals.
VM: What advice can you offer other Americans who wish to travel to China?
JS: Don’t expect everyone to be able to speak English with you. Try to learn some Chinese before you come. It will make your visit much more enjoyable to be able to have even very simple conversations in Chinese. The Chinese are generally very hospitable and will make the extra effort to communicate with you, much more so than Americans. You will end up with lots of memorable moments trying to have simple Chinese conversations! If you plan to live abroad for any period of time in any country, learning the language is not necessary for survival by any means. However, what you learn from speaking the language of the country you live in will teach you things about yourself, your own language, and the culture you are surrounded by that you could not have learned otherwise.
Josh Sullivan currently lives, works, plays music and takes pictures in Bejing, China.