07.08.08
Michael Jordan and the Great Wall
Whenever you are a foreigner out walking the streets in China, you usually get asked where you are from at least about 1.5 times per hour. When I would tell people I’m American, the next logical question is always “What city?” This is when things would get complicated.
“Kansas City,” I would reply. (Hardly anybody in China has heard of Kansas City, just as hardly anybody in the US has heard of Fuzhou).
“Kansas…you mean Texas, right?” was the most common reply. The Chinese word for “Kansas” and the word for “Texas” are somewhat similar, so it’s an understandable mistake. Ultimately, many Chinese people have in fact heard of the state of Kansas, but they have never heard of Kansas City, which by in large is in Missouri.*
To make matters simple, I decided on this trip to just tell casual inquirers that I am from Chicago. I’ve only lived there 10 months, so I am far from being a native, but it’s simpler than explaining that Kansas is not the same as Texas, and that Kansas City is actually located in Missouri, not Kansas. So far, I have not run into a single Chinese person who hasn’t heard of Chicago. However, when it comes to Windy City, nobody makes mention of the Sears Tower, Michigan Avenue, or even deep dish pizza. From school children to cab drivers to the guard in front of my apartment complex, the first words from the mouth when Chicago is mentioned are invariably 公牛队 (gong1 niu2 dui4) and 乔丹 (qiao3 dan1), “The Bulls” and “Michael Jordan.”
Michael Jordan is such a household name in China that I shouldn’t have been surprised the other day when I saw this item selling at the Mutianyu Great Wall.
In the middle of the image, next to the stone carvings of dragons, tigers, the Great Wall, and other sino-imagery, you can see one of MJ yelling to his teammates. He is the only athlete whose bust I have ever seen on such a souvenir. I couldn’t even find one of Yao Ming. The fact that this rendering of an American athlete, at China’s most famous tourist attraction, certainly speaks volumes about his popularity in the Middle Kingdom. The rage over basketball has exploded in China over the past few decades, and Michael Jordan, willing or not, has become its de facto cultural ambassador. While many Chinese fans today identify more with Kobe Bryant or Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan is still viewed as the face of the game, and thus its him, not Kobe or even Yao, who gets his face on the Great Wall souvenir.
*Technically, there is a Kansas City, KS also, but the main urban center is Kansas City, MO. Many Americans don’t seem to be aware of this either.
Nicole
said,
July 8, 2008 at 11:09 am
Ben,
I have been thoroughly enjoying reading your updates from China (especially since I wish I were there instead of still in the States!). You do an outstanding job, and your perspective on things is great. Keep them coming!
maxiewawa
said,
July 8, 2008 at 11:48 am
Kansas City isn’t in Kansas state? Now that’s confusing.
GAC
said,
July 8, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I can understand this. When I tell Chinese people I’ve from 西弗吉尼亚 (West Virginia) they typically are familiar with “Virginia”, but (like even some people from the US) they don’t know West Virginia is a different state. (I’ve never been asked “which city”, of course, but I doubt any of the cities in WV would be recognized, and I’m sure that my hometown doesn’t even have a standard transliteration).
I also found that mentioning the song “Country Roads” isn’t as likely to ring a bell with Chinese as it does with Japanese people, so I’m stuck with telling it straight out.
Leben
said,
July 8, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I like Jordan too .
Benjamin Ross
said,
July 8, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Maxiewawa-
You’ve illustrated my point exactly. It’s terribly confusing, even to most Americans, not to mention Australians like yourself. There are actually 2 Kansas City’s: Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO. They are right next to on another (across a river) and both have their own downtowns. However, Kansas City, MO has always been much larger. It’s the same concept as Chicago, IL and Gary, IN or St. Louis, MO and East St. Louis, IL, except that the founders of Kansas City decided to make it confusing to everybody and give both cities the same name.
GAC-
That’s quite a surprise that “Country Roads” doesn’t ring a bell. That’s got to be one of the most widely-recognizable American songs in China. Have you tried singing the whole chorus?As a side note, I’ve always found it fascinating the impact that a single celebrity can have on people in another country’s sense of geography. For example, before 2002 very few people in China had heard of Houston. Now it is easily one of the most well-known American cities in the Middle Kingdom…reason why: Yao Ming. This holds true for Americans’ knowledge of foreign cities and countries as well. I have a friend in Chicago from Austria, and she says she can hardly start a conversation with Americans without the subject of Arnold Schwarzeneger being brought up at least once.
Miley
said,
July 21, 2008 at 10:01 am
I happen to read your article in a magazine and also happy to know you have a brilliant time here in China@-@
yeah,Michael Jordan is really famous person in China,and now a lot of teenagers love Kobe too.many chinese guys love basketball!
DO YOU KNOW WHICH songs are the most well-known here?And which singer is the most popular?
uggs
said,
December 13, 2009 at 3:58 am
MO. They are right next to on another (across a river) and both have their own downtowns. However, Kansas City, MO has always been much larger.