By Chris Taylor
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-951763.mp3
Murray, KY – Ping pong, badminton and martial arts top the list of China's most popular sports. So, Chris Taylor heads over to Murray State's Wellness Center to see MSU Chinese language instructor Frank Geng face an opponent across a ping-pong table. And as he finds out, the Chinese take on competition is not all about who wins or even necessarily about sports.
Frank Geng holds his worn paddle against the ping pong ball. He readies to serve, lowering in a hunched stance.. his shoulders sway side to side making it hard to predict which side of the table he'll target. Geng chuckles after a blurring slam blows past his opponent. He's been playing the table top sport all his life and even recalls having a paddle in hand as a toddler. He's playing for fun at the moment, but back in Beijing he was a college-level champion. That's no big deal though.
Geng- We do not value the championship that much. We value your score.. your test of score.
Geng says focusing on self-improvement and the values of playing on a team are what's important to most Chinese players. Still, he says it feels good to win.
Geng- Being competitive and winning the championship is a kind of honor for where you come from.
Geng says that honor is oftentimes held within and not put out on display, unlike what you find in many American sports. Think end-zone victory dances or star players hoisted upon their teammates' shoulders. There's an overt de-emphasis on the individual in Chinese sports and more focus on a team's effort. And there are other stark differences too. Take fandom for instance. Geng says Chinese spectators are much more reserved.
Geng- But in America it's something different. The audience is kind of another player on the court. So the audience joins in the game and really enjoys the game. That's something better I think because everyone can be the athlete.
Geng says one of the most obvious ways the two countries' sports competitions differ is economic.
Geng- The commercial, the financial, the bank. In American sports systems those sponsors play a very important role and they do make profit from the game.
In China, sports have more to do with government.
Geng- Sport is much more connected to politics. We have several important events on sport history.
Geng says sports have been China's gateway into the global community. He cites the 2008 Beijing Olympics and even further back to the 70's when China and the US began playing each other in the World Table Tennis Championships. Both games are credited with easing open the door to warmer diplomatic international relations with China. Sports and athleticism are important parts of the Chinese culture, but as MSU graduate student Tingting Kang points out, it's far from being the most competitive stratum there.
Kang- The biggest event in competition in China is studying. You have to have a very high rank. That means you are very good and you win basically all the competitions in your childhood.
Kang has competed in speech tournaments since age 12. Now she's studying to teach English to foreign speakers. Kang says China's school-age intellectual arena is a challenging and crowded bracket likely driven by the country's tremendous population. But it's one that's not usually played out for all to see.
Kang- They won't show a lot of things on the surface. They will have the competition under the desk, but on top of the desk all the people are friendly and there are no competitions, but not as obvious as here. Here, if you say I want to do something,' you will show your eagers, but in China they will hide a little bit.
Kang says her culture's emphasis on modesty helps to veil students' struggle to edge over their peers. Students are ranked by their accomplishments, where only the top percentile is eligible for higher learning opportunities. Kang adds Chinese students' academic training seems a bit more arduous and enduring.
Kang- Children here have a lot of freedom. For example, in China you have to go to school maybe at 7:00am and then you can come back maybe at 8:00pm. All the time they are studying.
It's no doubt China's educational regime churns out studious and disciplined pupils. Its system must be effective because China, along with many East Asia countries, is far outpacing the US and other western nations in math and science. But Kang laments the rigorous studying may stifle young people's creativity.
Kang- I think that is more important. I think maybe we could combine these two teaching systems together.
Kang says many of her friends who registered for MSU algebra classes were surprised.
Kang- The questions are very simple the content of their classes is very simple.
Chinese student's math capabilities could also run deeper than just their training. In the book "Outliers," author Malcolm Gladwell proposes simpler language roots and mathematical syntax make it easier for Asian children to learn to count and do basic math. The advantage puts them about a year ahead of their American counterparts as young as age four.
Education will have a huge impact on future economies. China is already expected to outpace the United States in industrial manufacturing in the coming years. President Obama spotlighted America's education shortcomings in January's State of the Union address, calling for the nation to up its game. And in the global marketplace, as China's growth continues to challenge the United States' role as a superpower, it seems China's competitive investment in education may already be paying off.