In the guesthouse in Melacca we met Peter, a Hong Kong Chinese. He has been travelling for the last four years. We asked him what constitutes Chinese identity abroad. He told us that three things are constitutional: First the common, unified and 2000 years old (written) language Mandarin, second Chinese food (being eaten exclusively with chopstick) and thirdly the sense of family (and living in Chinese neighbourhoods). The Chinese share the common strive for wealth, easily seen in Taoist and Buddhist temples where people pray for money. Additionally Chinese tend to stay out of politics. Interestingly Peter considered religion not that important. He also feels that Chinese can put up with poor working and housing conditions and work harder. They do not mind doing menial jobs.
We then spoke about the differences between Chinese and Western skills. Chinese tend to be more skilful as manufacturer in low-tech segments while Americans, Japanese and Europeans tend to be better in high-tech manufacturing, marketing/branding and research.
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