Playing Chinese chess, the half game, when my student friend was teaching me, we'd be playing along and a friend would come up. . . another Chinese student.
Now, understand that his is a game which has written on the paper that comes with the chess pieces--two cardinal rules--one of which is--NO TALKING from onlookers--no assisting etc.
Anyway--I'd think that given that they'd both played all their lives and I was just learning, the newcomer would help me. WRONG!
A 3rd Chinese student friend would come up who'd also played all his life. . . I thought--wonderful, two against two. WRONG! it was 3 lifelong players aiding each other against the beginner. As many as 6 or 7 friends or even mere countrymen would end up colluding together against the western barbarian.
I've asked why in many different groups, contexts. It's like why is almost an incomprehensible question. It's like asking why there's a sky or why water is wet to them. It's like, there's no other option, OF COURSE Chinese would aid one another against the westerner. Fairness--which Chinese have a very KEEN and supersensitivity about if it involves others being fair to THEM--fairness just doesn't enter into that FROM THEIR ETHNOCENTRIC perspective.
One benefit, I'm now pretty good. Only about 3% of the students at the university can routinely beat me. Old men experts in the park won't play me unless they have no fear of losing face.
But this compulsion to help one another against the foreigner is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO INTENSE AND SEEMINGLY GENETIC. It's quite a phenomenon for a shrink and sociologist to observe.
I think the youth in the Mainland who are somewhat cheekily hostile to the U.S. do it as a kind of ethnocentric pride mixed with rebellion against the world authority of the U.S. But MOST adults of any age maturity at all are keenly appreciative of American blessings to China in WWII AND currently. Certainly there is jealousy at many levels over the wealth and progress America represents.
Well, maybe they behave like that when they are in a group, but individuallly they may not be ethnocentric. They hate America while they admire the American advancement.
>>As many as 6 or 7 friends or even mere countrymen would end up colluding together against the western barbarian.
It's the bad part of the Chinese culture. They tend to believe in power and you were in the weak side. That explains why China needs a strong, powerful leader.
>>OF COURSE Chinese would aid one another against the westerner.
I don't think so. If the westner is powerful enough, they might aid him. The Chinese people is not a people of unity. They have been fighting among themselves for 5,000 years. Of course aiding foreigners is not popular in China because you are taking the risk of being called "traitor". When it goes to the nationalistic sentiment, no rationale works.
>>But this compulsion to help one another against the foreigner is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO INTENSE AND SEEMINGLY GENETIC.
Because of the history.
>>I think the youth in the Mainland who are somewhat cheekily hostile to the U.S. do it as a kind of ethnocentric pride mixed with rebellion against the world authority of the U.S.
Also because they don't know the US. They don't know the hardship of the cultural revolution and they take the American culture they enjoyed for granted.