The Chinese are very proud of their writing system - to the point that Chinese calligraphy is pretty much high art there. We love it when non-Chinese talk about

The Chinese are very proud of their writing system - to the point that Chinese calligraphy is pretty much high art there. We love it when non-Chinese talk about how hard it is to learn - it gives that quick ego-boost like what you get when someone talks about how hard it is to learn something you already know. Sometimes I think part of the reason China/Japan is so inward-looking is because they've invested a LOT of time into learning the ways of their own culture.