It is the purpose of this guide to tell you about some of these customs. It will take only about 20 minutes to read, but, by helping you to understand China and the Chinese people, it can add interest to your stay in their country and help you to do a better job for America.
FORGET YOUR OLD NOTIONS
THERE are many Chinese living in America. You probably have seen some of them, and from them have formed notions about all Chinese. Perhaps those you saw were typical or perhaps they weren't. China is a big country, larger than Europe, half again as large as the United States, and with three times as many people as we have. Those you saw in America may have come from one small spot in China—the city of Canton. Judging all Chinese by those who live in one small part of the country is like judging all Americans by the residents of Hoboken, N. J.
If you think of the Chinese as a yellow-skinned people of a totally different race from us, you probably will never get to know them. What's more, you'll be playing right into the hands of Hitler and the Japs. Japan will harp on the color question first, last, and all the time. She will tell the Chinese what she has been telling them ever since Pearl Harbor—that Americans look down on nonwhite peoples and that the Chinese can never hope to be treated on terms
