Discover China through Its Rock Bands

“To China, I’m like a Five-year-old”

“You know what? I’m only a five years old here.” Eric said there’s still a lot out there for him to learn about China, especially when it comes to eating. He needs to be courageous enough to try everything.

To him, drinking Erguotou (a kind of stilled spirit) and trying different Chinese food are rituals for foreigners who want to know China. It’s easy to judge others but less so after gaining a thorough understanding. He will pluck up courage to try something ostensibly inedible in the eyes of many from outside China.

Pidan (preserved egg) is one such item. Most Chinese people like it better than regular eggs, but it’s always deemed gross, and has even been rated as “one of the worst foods on earth” by some western food magazines. Eric said that at first he didn’t like the idea of it. But after the first bite, he wanted a second one.

“When I come to your house, I have to accept your rules and learn how things work. The same goes for America. When you go there, you need to try to understand why America is the way it is. That’s how you get to discover and understand the people and culture. But if you don’t, and instead think ‘Oh it should be like this,’ then you won’t understand anything. It’s no use judging, you must just try to understand why something is the way it is. Once you do, you can accept it and maybe even appreciate the difference. The world is full of differences.”

Edward Said (1935-2003) pointed out in his groundbreaking book Orientalism the existence of a subtle yet persistent Eurocentric prejudice against Eastern peoples and their culture. Eric comes from West, but I found his open-mindedness, politeness and respect for China really impressive.

Maybe this has something to do with his cutural background. His mother is from the U.S., and his father from France. He was brought up in Canada. At the age of 17, he left home to go to New Zealand and work on a farm. This experience showed him that real communication between different cultures can be achieved only through understanding.

In 2015, he won an award from Mandarin Leader, a media brand dedicated to recognizing excellence in North America’s Chinese community, for his contribution to people-to-people exchanges.

As we talked about holidays and vacations, Eric seemed to come over a bit wily. He grinned and said he never went travelling across China during the Spring Festival. He would rather stay with friends in Beijing. And why ever not? Isn’t Beijing a cool place to stay when everywhere else is crowded with tourists?

And now he stays here in his beloved Beijing which “never ceases to amaze” him. He’s positive about the future of China’s indie bands, and lives here to savor the joy they bring him.