| Ever since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Korea and China in 1992, the number of Korean students coming to China for study has been increasing. The phenomenon of their cultural adaptation in China has become an omnipresent and pressing issue waiting to be addressed. The cultural adaptation of Korean students refers to the transition of their identity from a "stranger", entitled "Korean students in China" and possessing dual identities (a Korean person as well as a college student in china), to an "insider" on campus through their interactions and communication with the Chinese society. From the perspective of communication networks, it is a transitional process in which the stranger establishes communication ties with the locals and develops communication patterns.To examine the formation and causes of the cultural adaptation models for Korean students in China, this study employs the concept of communication networks and has carried out surveys on two levels: one, a questionnaire filled out by 304 Korean students from five different universities in Shanghai; two, in-depth informal interviews with 30 Korean students. The research has incorporated both qualitative and quantitative methods. As this study shows, in order to adjust to the new culture, Korean students in China generally adopt three different types of cultural adaptation models. They are the separating model, transitional model and integrative model. Among all Koreans students surveyed, 35.2%, or 107 of them have opted for establishing a personal communication network which is composed solely of his or her country fellows and have no communication ties with the local Chinese. This is the separating model for cultural adaptation, in which these students hold onto their Korean identity when faced with the Chinese society, taking general rules in the Korean society as the frame of reference for their study and daily life and interpreting their surroundings with their limited knowledge and experience in China. This model has led to a state of isolation for some Koreans students living in China. In an effort to meet more Chinese or accomplish their original goals for coming to China, 59.2%, or 180 of the surveyed Korean students tried to socialize with the Chinese locals. However, the personal communication networks they construct consist primarily of ties built with instrumental or mixed motives. The author believes that there are three major causes for their inability to establish emotional bonds with Chinese: the tension between their identity as a Korean and at the same time, a college student in China; inability to find common grounds with Chinese in either study or daily life; differences in interpersonal communication styles.There are 5.6%, or 17 Korean students among the surveyed that fit the integrative cultural adaptation model, in which they are able to maintain their Korean identity on one hand and on the other hand, build a personal network characterized by expressive ties with Chinese. Under the dynamic and intertwined influence of both the "Korean enclave" and local Chinese society, they have gradually assumed dual identities and acted as a bridge between the two cultures, able to view the two cultures from a more objective perspective. They are now capable of not only getting to know and reflecting upon their own culture, but making comparisons and contrasts between Korean and Chinese cultures.On the basis of the empirical study, the author has proposed that a constructive approach be taken to address the issue of Korean students' cultural adaptation in China: firstly, we need to fully tap into the resources supplied by Korean students with the integrative model and their communication networks; secondly, an effective machanism should be implimented, which will encourage and facilitate the integration of separation and assimilation in Krean students' study daily and life. At the end of this study, some issues that demand our attention are brought forward for future discussion. |
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