Whether you've been in China for 2 weeks or 2 years I can guarantee you will have noticed the little things (and not such little things) that are completely different to at home. These differences aren't necessarily bad, but they are something that you need to take in your stride as someone living in a culturally opposite society. These are the things that you're going to remember in years to come, and these are the things that can start conversations with other foreigners your meet on your journey in China. In a way they are the make and break element of living abroad, because if you can't accept the culture for what it is, you're never going to be able to stay long term in the country.
When I first first came to China I made a friend who helped me to start this list of the weird and wonderful differences of life in China.
It started off as a bit of a joke, a silly back and forth of text messages, and at the time I wasn't thinking of encapsulating it on here but as time went on it seemed like a good way to distil some of the essence of what China is. I don't think anyone ever expected it would get to 100 items!
I think if you read the other two parts of the list (part I, part II) you can definitely get an idea of how different China is to the West, and you can see how my attitude has changed towards the culture. Some of the early parts of the list are over simplistic and maybe even critical, and I suppose that is to be expected to a certain extent. After all, it is the things that contradict what we know that stick out the most. But as time has gone on I've tried to show some of the things that, although different, are great! So have a read, look back over the old lists and see how different China really is!
71. Terrible driving. It's not uncommon to fear for your life on Chinese roads - and I've never seen so many car accidents.
72. How hardly anyone uses strollers for their babies, it's granny's job to carry the baby until they can toddle on their own.
73. Fake flowers in the trees.
74. People wearing pyjamas out and about. Want to pop to the shops? Wear your pyjamas! Having some friends over for dinner? Wear your pyjamas! Getting a bit hot? Well, you'd better unbutton that pyjama top to give your stomach access to the breeze.
75. Walking backwards as exercise.
76. Thrusting upon trees as exercise.
77. How family is the most important thing and people will continue to listen to their parents about how to live their lives well past adulthood.
78. How it's considered being a good friend to get your friend so drunk that they're passed out on the table.
79. How, in malls, there are never toilets inside restaurants. If you've gotta go you have to find the closest public toilet.
80. How a 6 hour journey would be considered short.
81. How a man wearing a green hat means his wife/girlfriend is cheating on him.
82. How the Chinese word for "umm" (a thinking noise) sounds exactly the same as the n-word.
83. The idea that clothes that have been worn outside are "dirty" and so should not be put on the bed, especially socks. No lying on the bed fully dressed.
84. The idea that it's bad luck to put bags on the floor. You'll rarely see backpacks, handbags or shopping bags directly on the floor.
85. Christmas apples. Massively overpriced, giant apples in fancy boxes are considered perfect Christmas gifts.
86. Staff in restaurants doing coordinated dances in public as "team building exercises".
87. How every single specific family relation has it's own work. For example your paternal grandma is năi nai 奶奶 and your maternal grandma is lăo lao 姥姥.
88. All cousins are called brothers and sisters, people referred to as cousins are often much more distantly related.
89. Children who wear little stickers all over their ears, for an unknown reason.
90. How the bits we consider the worst part of the animal (spine, head, tendons) are the most prized parts of the meat.
91. Popularly flavours for candy and ice cream are pea, sweet corn, and taro.
92. All car windows are tinted.
93. Having to be careful which face wash, soap, face mask, deodorant, etc that you buy in case it's "whitening". (Yes, even whitening deodorant.)
94. Couples out on a date both being on their phones and not actually talking for the duration of the meal.
95. Only drinking hot water, and hot water being the cure for a multitude of ailments.
96. KTV: next level karaoke. Private rooms, tables of drinks, 5 hour sessions, and sometimes pretty girls to laugh at your jokes if you feel so inclined.
97. That restaurants exist where you can get a huge plate of, freshly cooked from scratch food for around 12元 (£1.20)
98. Groups of old men huddled around at the side of the street playing Chinese chess.
99. Pay by the hour hotels, that students allegedly rent out to study in, away from their family.
100. The unrelenting hatred of Japan. Students who have travelled to Japan will get booed in class, and when I asked students to invent a festival they invented "Kill Japan Day" and everyone cheered.
When I first first came to China I made a friend who helped me to start this list of the weird and wonderful differences of life in China.
It started off as a bit of a joke, a silly back and forth of text messages, and at the time I wasn't thinking of encapsulating it on here but as time went on it seemed like a good way to distil some of the essence of what China is. I don't think anyone ever expected it would get to 100 items!
I think if you read the other two parts of the list (part I, part II) you can definitely get an idea of how different China is to the West, and you can see how my attitude has changed towards the culture. Some of the early parts of the list are over simplistic and maybe even critical, and I suppose that is to be expected to a certain extent. After all, it is the things that contradict what we know that stick out the most. But as time has gone on I've tried to show some of the things that, although different, are great! So have a read, look back over the old lists and see how different China really is!
71. Terrible driving. It's not uncommon to fear for your life on Chinese roads - and I've never seen so many car accidents.
72. How hardly anyone uses strollers for their babies, it's granny's job to carry the baby until they can toddle on their own.
73. Fake flowers in the trees.
74. People wearing pyjamas out and about. Want to pop to the shops? Wear your pyjamas! Having some friends over for dinner? Wear your pyjamas! Getting a bit hot? Well, you'd better unbutton that pyjama top to give your stomach access to the breeze.
75. Walking backwards as exercise.
76. Thrusting upon trees as exercise.
77. How family is the most important thing and people will continue to listen to their parents about how to live their lives well past adulthood.
78. How it's considered being a good friend to get your friend so drunk that they're passed out on the table.
79. How, in malls, there are never toilets inside restaurants. If you've gotta go you have to find the closest public toilet.
80. How a 6 hour journey would be considered short.
81. How a man wearing a green hat means his wife/girlfriend is cheating on him.
82. How the Chinese word for "umm" (a thinking noise) sounds exactly the same as the n-word.
83. The idea that clothes that have been worn outside are "dirty" and so should not be put on the bed, especially socks. No lying on the bed fully dressed.
84. The idea that it's bad luck to put bags on the floor. You'll rarely see backpacks, handbags or shopping bags directly on the floor.
85. Christmas apples. Massively overpriced, giant apples in fancy boxes are considered perfect Christmas gifts.
86. Staff in restaurants doing coordinated dances in public as "team building exercises".
87. How every single specific family relation has it's own work. For example your paternal grandma is năi nai 奶奶 and your maternal grandma is lăo lao 姥姥.
88. All cousins are called brothers and sisters, people referred to as cousins are often much more distantly related.
89. Children who wear little stickers all over their ears, for an unknown reason.
90. How the bits we consider the worst part of the animal (spine, head, tendons) are the most prized parts of the meat.
91. Popularly flavours for candy and ice cream are pea, sweet corn, and taro.
92. All car windows are tinted.
93. Having to be careful which face wash, soap, face mask, deodorant, etc that you buy in case it's "whitening". (Yes, even whitening deodorant.)
94. Couples out on a date both being on their phones and not actually talking for the duration of the meal.
95. Only drinking hot water, and hot water being the cure for a multitude of ailments.
96. KTV: next level karaoke. Private rooms, tables of drinks, 5 hour sessions, and sometimes pretty girls to laugh at your jokes if you feel so inclined.
97. That restaurants exist where you can get a huge plate of, freshly cooked from scratch food for around 12元 (£1.20)
98. Groups of old men huddled around at the side of the street playing Chinese chess.
99. Pay by the hour hotels, that students allegedly rent out to study in, away from their family.
100. The unrelenting hatred of Japan. Students who have travelled to Japan will get booed in class, and when I asked students to invent a festival they invented "Kill Japan Day" and everyone cheered.
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| Gourds at a market in Chengdu |
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