I'm sure plenty of people in China wish they were more creative. I do too. As the victim of counterfeiters there, I wish they would generate their own ideas and stop copying others. China didn't always lack in innovation. In fact, at one time they were on top of the world as one of the most innovative countries in the world. But that was many centuries ago. Paper was invented in China and is considered one of the most important inventions ever. The compass and gunpowder were also important inventions that came from China.
But these days creativity in China has been replaced by a rote system of learning. Chinese children are good at memorizing, reciting, and repetition, but not when it comes to using their imagination. The "gao kao" test hangs over the heads of all high school students like a cloud. It's a grueling, stressful test that high school students must take to get into college. But it's much more than that. It basically determines what path they will take in life, what college they get into, what kind of job they'll get, who they marry, and how much money they'll make. No pressure there, huh?
This is one reason Chinese students are programmed from an early age to memorize answers instead of working on problem solving and coming up with their own solution. Parents and teachers spoon feed them answers and they parrot them back. There is so much riding on this one test that there is no room at all for creativity.
But the Chinese do understand that in order to compete in a global economy they'll have to do more than just repeat lines. At the same time it's hard to convince people in a strict, formal educational system that play is just as valuable as study. In order to be creative you have to step outside your comfort zone and be willing to fail. That is a very hard pill to swallow when you've spent your whole young life avoiding it at all costs. Decades of doing things one way and doing it so strictly makes change uncomfortable. But China will eventually get to the point where they will either have to change or be left behind by innovation.
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Julie Austin is an award-winning writer, inventor & multiple business owner. She's a "go-to" media expert in the fields of innovation & creativity. http://www.creativeinnovationgroup.com
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