Extracurricular activities & Uncertainty Avoidance

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When I first saw this week's topic, I felt a bit awkward. There isn't a strong extracurricular culture in China, at least not in the way it's portrayed in other countries–where clubs and circles seem colorful, vibrant, and central to school life. But I did join a volunteer association at the university level, and I was also a member of the News and Communication Department of the Student Union. 

Now let's rewind a little, I wasn't part of any club during junior and high school. The reason was pretty clear: we were expected to focus entirely on studying. Only students aiming for university admission through special skills–like sports, art, or music–were allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, and even then, those weren't really considered "extra".

According to Hofstede, uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which the members of a culture of a national society feel threatened by ambiguous and unknown situations. At first, I assumed China ranked high in uncertainty avoidance, because many Chinese people, including my own parents, seem to prefer stability. That's why I completely related to his opinion that in uncertainty-avoiding societies, "what is different is dangerous". For example, if I want to try something different on myself, like a new piercing, a new hair color, or a trendy outfit, I usually spend days hesitating, worrying about being judged or side-eyed. 

However, I realized that was a cognitive bias on my part. In reality, Chinese people adapt quickly to new technologies, business trends, and shifting markets. For me, I'm actually comfortable with changes and flexible rules. What I mistook for fear of the unknown was more about fear of not fitting in–a result of our collectivist culture, not necessarily uncertainty avoidance.

评论

  1. Emiliano2025年6月23日 23:17

    Thank you so much for your blog, I would like to hear or read more from your volunteering time, I also did some volunteering and it was cool I really enjoyed it and bringed me new perspectives from life.
    Also it's also interesting your approach to avoidance in Chinese culture, was interesting to read and to realize that sometimes is noth what we think by our intakes

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  2. 匿名2025年6月23日 23:20

    Wow, that's very interesting that children in China can't join sports and music clubs if they're not aiming to continue it professionally.

    回复删除

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