When I first told my friends I was studying abroad this semester, they immediately assumed I would go to a European city, learn more about the origins of Western civilization and drink up in the beer gardens of Munich or the cafes of Paris.

But when I told them I was going to China, many immediately praised Hong Kong for its place as a center of finance and its great party scene — everyone knows Hong Kong clubs rock and that China’s casino capital, Macao, is just a boat ride away. But I’m not going there, either. This semester I’m studying in the capital of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing.

For some Americans, Beijing conjures up images of polluted skies, over-the-top Olympic games and political oppression. For us, China is a country with an economy threatening to surpass that of the United States.

But what was most surprising once I arrived after a 20-hour-long journey from New York City to Beijing was the love the Chinese have for American culture. Buicks line the ring roads throughout Beijing, Colonel Sanders smiles from more street corners than Mao, and billboards splayed with American actors and actresses light up the Beijing night.

This was China — with American characteristics.

In many ways, Beijing resembles New York and Washington rolled into one, with the viciously cold weather of our very own Syracuse. But when I rolled out of bed that first morning, I encountered a miracle: There was beer in the vending machine.

Are there any dorms at Syracuse University that carry anything besides cranberry juice or Gatorade for those late-night chasers? No. Most Americans may stereotype Chinese students as bookworms sitting in the library. But this is a misconception, too.

This country has Great Wall wine in its universities’ student centers and karaoke clubs minutes from campus. (The drinking age is 18, but it’s not enforced.) When we traveled to the smoky clubs of Xi’an in central China and drank to the pumping rhythms in Shanghai, everything seemed to change. This was not the country of stodgy communism. This was a great time.

What we need in the United States is to make an effort to understand. My effort is seeing the world from the Chinese’s point of view. The Chinese people are not just bland academics. They are welcoming, hardworking and entrepreneurial, and they certainly know how to let loose. Look out Europe and Hong Kong, Beijing might just have you beat in more ways than one.

Andrew Swab is a junior magazine journalism and international relations major. His columns appear occasionally. He can be reached at ajswab@syr.edu.

Published on January 31, 2011 at 12:00 pm