The purpose of this paper is to introduce and analyze the book "Foreign Babes in Beijing: Behind the Scenes of a New China" by Rachel DeWoskin. Specifically, it will discuss the author's statement, "I imagined cultures were contained in their language"(DeWoskin 42), and how language expresses the culture DeWoskin encounters in Beijing. The author opens her book by noting how important language was to her encounters in China. She writes, "At the core of all my Beijing interactions, both the successful and the not so successful, was language" (DeWoskin 10). She and her friends even developed "Chinglish" a blend of Chinese and English they used when they spoke. She lives in Beijing and comes to love the city and the people of the city. She also learns volumes about the Chinese and English cultures, and how they often clash. Most of all, she learns the importance of the language of Chinese, and how difficult it can be to put the same ideas expressed in Chinese into English. In fact, her experience does indicate that cultures are contained in their language and that ideas about culture often come from language, as well as other clues.
             However, DeWoskin believes that once she learns the Chinese language fully, she will automatically fit in the country, and of course, that is not the case. She also learns that cultures are based on belief systems and that the Chinese have many beliefs about Americans that they have learned through television, films and other American influences in their country. First and foremost, the author was always identified as an American by her appearance, and this helped influence how the Chinese looked on her, even though she was trying so hard to fit into their culture. She also finds that culture often transcends language and that stereotypes persist in all corners of the world. The Chinese think Americans are all fat and blonde, and that they all think Chinese people are lazy. She also found that s...