The author considers the impact of history and the role that worldview plays in the lives of returnees. She then discusses from a practical point of view the issues facing returnees and the needed responses. She concludes with lessons learned by returnees.
One topic sure to bring up lots of entries on a Google search, some 47 million Chinese entries, has to do with "haigui" (sea turtles). This term, haigui, in current Chinese slang refers to overseas returnees, especially to the thousands of Chinese students who completed studies overseas, gained practical work experience, and have now returned home. How many of these haigui are returning as Christians? What kind of impact wil they after spending time in the West? Are there ways we can support them?
Editor's Note: This editorial originally appeared in "Returnees to China" (CS Quarterly, 2011 Winter).
The following is a quotation from James Hudson Taylor, speaking to a gathering of field workers Pingyang, Shanxi in 1886.
Cross-cultural work is all about living between two poles and keeping them in juxtaposition. The problem is that modernity - our western Enlightenment culture - drives us to resolve that tension.
I have recently been struck by how susceptible my attitude is to being influenced by my environment. This sounds obviousalmost tautologicalbut let me explain a bit about the kind of influences I am thinking of.
A word from the managing editor.
With the number of Chinese scholars studying abroad increasing and many of them coming to faith in Christ, understanding the challenges they face in returning to China is vital for their ongoing spiritual growth. What is being done to deal with those challenges?
Who are the foreigners that have gone to China in the past and today?
From the editor's point of view...
Is the role of foreign workers in China changing? Yes and no. The biblical mandates remain unchanged: go into all the world; make disciples of all nations; love your neighbor; build my church. These scriptural imperatives also remain unfinished. Is the role of the foreign worker changing? It depends on where the worker is and who he or she relates to.
A ChinaSource interview conducted by Kay Danielson with a long-time expatriate Christian working in China.