Caps and Gowns

The impetus for this post occurred one day at the end of last semester. I was heading to lunch one day, and noticed a few groups of students in caps and gowns taking pictures. Then I noticed there were two little tables set up with posters, piles of caps and gowns, and workers with some big time cameras. It was hard to figure out that the tables represented vendors offering to take some memorable pictures of the students in the cap and gown for graduation. Naturally, I went back to my apartment, grabbed my camera, and snapped some pictures. I didn't really know, but I was really hoping, for the students' sake, that this was not the extent of their graduation ceremony. But, I wasn't too optimistic.

So, I talked to Xingxing, who if you haven't read before, was by far my best Chinese friend and the person who helped me the most this past year. She was able to quell my concerns a little. She informed me that there was a sort of graduation ceremony. It consisted of some speeches by the administration and a student representative which were "were kind of conventional and cliche." One speech was pretty good and genuine, she did say. Maybe not that different from a U.S. college graduation. It was held in the school gym and wasn't too formal. The degrees weren't handed out to each student, but rather just one representative from each department. To me this was quite a poor showing for a country that loves pomp and circumstance in ceremonies. Additionally, though, each department held some sort of dinner for the graduating students. Xingxing said this was lots of fun, a great time to say final goodbyes to classmates and teachers, although they did have to pay for it.

I find the twenty minute rental of a cap and gown both hilarious and sad. Hilarious because the simple little table on the side of the road is just so efficiently Chinese. Seeing students walking all around campus in caps and gowns despite them not wearing them for any ceremony was perfectly ironic. Sad because there was no graduation ceremony.

I readily recognize that many high school and some college graduation ceremonies in the States are a bit egregious considering that for many Americans (because of our great community college network) getting a degree is not a really difficult thing to do. I am not belittling graduating college at all, but compared with the opportunities and competition in many other countries around the world, it's not nearly as difficult. To America's credit, we do get a whole lot of our citizens through college.

So, in comparison, the accomplishments of many of the students I got to know were pretty remarkable. For one, they made it through Chinese high school, which is saying a whole lot. Xingxing, who is now studying for her master's in England, is the first member of her family to graduate high school or college. Her parents are self made factory owners who both have junior high school educations. Her grandmother may very well not know the difference between England and Ecuador, having spent an entire life bending over in the fields. Another friend, Qin Chen is the first member of her entire extended family to graduate college. Cousins, aunts, uncles, even second cousins, she is the only one. Also an English major, Zhao Min was the first in her family to graduate. Zhao Min's older sister left school after junior high, as the military like atmosphere didn't sit well with her. But Zhao Min persevered through the 05:45 mandatory morning jog and classes lasting until 22:00 in high school, as well as freezing nights with no heating and freshmen military training in college.

It is almost harrowing that family and friends weren't at least invited to a ceremony to celebrate what to me are pretty momentous achievements for both the individuals and the country as a whole. I am sure that the internationally known major universities in China have ceremonies and other celebrations closer to those I experienced at TU. Our school is average to below average on the national scale. Nonetheless, I don't think that devalues the personal accomplishments of many of the students. Many of the poorer students' parents have saved for years to afford the tuition for their (often only) child. I think it's quite unfortunate they weren't able to see the culmination of all that work and share in it with their child, the student.