John Pasden is not like any ordinary foreigner in Shanghai. He's so keen on understanding China that he has decided to stay for the long haul, and according to Pasden, understanding a culture comes through knowledge of the language.

 

To say that Pasden, a 28-year-old American who has lived in China for almost seven years, has made an attempt at understanding China through the language is a modest claim. He teaches Mandarin at one of the world's most downloaded podcasts, Chinesepod. Pasden co-hosts Chinesepod's web-based language shows on the intermediate and upper intermediate level. He is the academic director.

 

Aside from that, he runs Sinosplice, which he calls "an apolitical China-centered weblog of observations on life and language". 

 

"The blog is personal in a public sense, yet it is not a public diary. Sinosplice is about things I observe, and I keep writing about what is interesting to me," says Pasden, who admits that now his postings are read more often by complete strangers than by his family.

 

Sinosplice started out to replace mass e-mails to friends and relatives but has become increasingly popular with a growing readership and commentators, frequently with a humorous twist.

 

Pasden's occasionally satirical blog entries, such as his cartoon-like reviews of junk food, contrast with his academic merits, Japanese skills, and passion for second language acquisition. On Sinosplice, Pasden also likes to poke holes in people's stereotypes, such as when he admits that he hates Chinese New Year. His explanation is extensive, but it comes down to his inability to relate to it and the loudness of the fireworks.

 

According to Pasden, living in China seems to change people, and it takes them by surprise when they start to behave differently. When confronted with the question of why this change occurs, he explains:

 

"Our environment has a profound effect on us, and for many foreigners here, living in China may be the first time they have experienced a country which is different enough to make the changes noticeable.

 

"Generally speaking I have learned that overall impressions are gained over time, and you might not notice it. Specifically, the local youth are more modern than most people at home in the US imagine, and another unexpected element is the magnitude of the development in Shanghai. The development disparity between Shanghai and the rural areas is tremendous."

 

Being in China for the long haul is not always easy. He testifies to having to accept some cultural differences too, just like everybody else who tries to adjust to something new. What made Pasden stay was partly private reasons -- he is now married to a Chinese woman -- and partly his desire for more fluency in Mandarin.

 

To that end, he has enrolled at East China Normal University as a graduate student in applied linguistics.

 

(China Daily March 20, 2007)