Globalization is Challenging the Preservation of Local Culture

Chunyu says that in his opinion, though this may seem like deliberate segregation, it is just a normal and comfortable part of life for people. “People who have the same nationality or heritage, similar cultural background, native language, and a way of thinking, are more likely to have a good and deep understanding, trust, and a sense of safety and comfort with each other than if they were dealing with foreigners,” says Chunyu.

In this way, the Chinese or any other culture is being preserved, even while within a culturally diverse city like Toronto, which could be seen as a natural “compromise” between globalization and the preservation of local culture. Chunyu also says that globalization has a limited role in bringing people together, despite it being a positive influence on the world’s population, in terms of causing greater sharing of knowledge, communication, and greater migration around the world.

“People who come from different heritages live in the same country, but it is very hard to have a deep cohesion, consolidation, and shared values – both socially, politically, and physiologically, as a whole, because of different races and socioeconomic inequality,” says Chunyu. “Different people have different social cycles. In reality, the majority of native speakers always dominate mainstream society, while minorities always get together to acquire a sense of safety.”

Chunyu adds that globalization cannot take away the uniqueness of a certain place – even given the “Americanization” of the world, as discussed earlier. In many metropolitan cities, especially, it is easy to find food or products from different nations. Given this, someone could argue that there’s no longer a need to visit a place to experience its culture, since you can experience many parts of it from home. You can find Indian restaurants in most cities in Canada, at least the major ones, and also experience other aspects of Indian culture, including shopping, entertainment, or even cultural education.

“China, for instance, is famous for Chinese food, even though there are lots of Chinese restaurants across the world,” Chunyu says. “Chinese food originated in China – and therefore, the food is still distinct to China. Likewise, goods made in China are exported to other countries, but the exportation of goods from China can change China as a large manufacturing base in the world.”

In the end, Chunyu personally finds it very important to preserve local culture. Globalization has its benefits, and he says that this preservation can still occur even as globalization grows larger. “Local culture has to be preserved since it is about your roots, your heritage, and your nation.”

“When I say I am Chinese, I am proud of my country, which includes Chinese culture. Imagine if a person lost a sense of his or her home culture – he would probably lose his or her social identity. The person may not care where they are from, or where their parents come from. Also, if a local culture is replaced by an external culture, then the host nation will lose its own distinction and uniqueness. The nation can be completely changed or dominated by other nations, and the nation or race may end up disappearing or becoming assimilated.”

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