China Chinese

For Westerners, in general China may represent irrational, secret knowledge, intuition, wisdom of life. It may be a fear of the irrational. That is, a fear of believing or being influenced by ideas that are not logically proven, or commonly understood or held by others. What you feel about China and the Chinese.

In a Westerner’s dream China may represent urges or experiences the dreamer does not identify with. For instance in each of us there are things we repress, or do not have opportunity to express, emotionally, sexually or with our ambitions. China may depict these aspects of the dreamer, or urges at odds with conscious fears and decisions.

Commonly this would reflect your feelings and responses to the Chinese people you have met. But for some people China would represent a threat. That is because often we feel threatened by anything we do not understand about us, especially if it is an urge or feeling we do not recognise.

In some dreams the Chinese person can represent intuitive wisdom of great insight. This is usually obvious and felt as such in the dream. So it can indicate contact with ones unconscious material.

Example: I was on a plane or a journey. On my right sat an American, very flabby, with a paunch. I was eating an apple, and my elbow sometimes touched his paunch. It felt lifeless, lacking vitality. I told him he ought to eat only apples for a while, and all the dead flesh would fall off him.

Then a young Chinese man came to me and pointed out a line marked on my apple, on the green, less developed side. He said every apple had it if one looked, and under the line was a hair. He said it was the “hair of discontent.” He said this was poisonous, and best not eaten. I slid my fingernail under the line, and pulled out a long hair. I thought this was wonderful, and that I had been given real wisdom of the East.

Example: Example: Dreamt I was on a bomb site. I found old shells from the war. I was interested in them and dug them up, but felt that they might explode. Throwing them to one-sided I crawled away sheltering from expected explosions. None came, only smoke. Then a friend offered a basement to Chinese restaurant owner. It was enormous, with great possibilities. I began to work in the basement. Brian.

As Brian explores his inner life through his dreams he comes across damage that occurred in his childhood and youth. The war was the personal inner conflicts he experienced. Meeting these was not as difficult as he had expected. Then, in doing this a whole new area of possibility opened up – the basement – an area of himself that had previously remained unconscious.

If you have travelled to China: What you felt or experienced in China.

Chinese writing: If you do not understand it, this is usually a way your inner self expresses things that you have not yet consciously recognised, admitted, or been able to put into words in your own language.

Useful Questions and Hints:

If I put into words what I feel and think about China, what would I say?

What are the main feelings in this dream, and in what way does the connection with China comment on them?

What are the key words in this dream, and what do they suggest?

See: Key Words – Talking As – Being the Person or Thing