Kindred neighbor

College students celebrate the Thailand water festival in Nanning on April 15.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Unexpected parallels

Swaisomseekun has not seen Lost in Thailand, the highest-grossing Chinese movie with a story set largely in Thailand. He has heard of it, and believes is a good thing as it increases the awareness of his home country among ordinary Chinese.

When asked if there's anything that could be misunderstood between Chinese and Thais, he says that if one behaves oneself when traveling abroad, "there is really nothing that could be misunderstood".

He is very philosophical about the bad reputation of some Chinese tourists: China has more people and naturally it attracts a higher proportion of public attention. "We have such people in Thailand as well, but since our population is smaller, it may go unnoticed and unreported."

When asked why his country is known as "the land of smiles", he credits the lower degree of urbanization in Thailand. People live in villages and know everybody. Even when they move to cities, they still keep that habit. Thais also tend to be more laid-back, he says.

"It's easy to survive in Thailand, with plenty of rice and everything, so people just don't feel they have to strain for survival. But things are changing, too. Young people are moving to urban centers, leaving only the elderly and the very young, a situation that echoes what's happening in China."

Another unexpected parallel is the way some Thai youngsters deal with job pressure, which is by relying on their parents for financial support. Although he feels Chinese youths tend to be go-getters, he was told there is a growing demographic in China who do exactly the same.

Swaisomseekun dispels the stereotype that all his countrymen are patient. People may get into a bad temper when stuck in the infamous Bangkok traffic, but ironically the city government is actually encouraging people to drive by offering incentives for buying their first automobiles, he says.

Most of the Guangxi graduates will take jobs with companies that may assign them to positions in Thailand, he observes. Only a few may end up being professional translators or guides. But like college graduates elsewhere, students of Thai language will also go along in the market before settling on something that they view as their true calling.