Dont be Too Surprised, This is China!
If this is the first time for you to visit China, there are things that you better know first, these will help you enjoy your trip and understand the culture better.
1. Chinese like to spit?
Well, not all Chinese people like to spit, or, as a matter of fact, nowadays more and more young people they wont or they don’t like to spit on the street, because it is a common sense that spitting around is not a good habit. But yeah, sometimes, you will also see some people spitting.
2. Chinese eat dogs, cats, insects and all kinds of strange things?
Hmmm, this is a funny questions, I am a animal-lover, and I have one dog at home, so I don’t eat dog at first, and most of the people in my city, we eat pork, beef, lamb, chicken, which I think are quite normal. But do Chinese eat dogs? Yeah, there are some areas where people eat dogs, maybe for the flavor, or maybe it is just from their culture. Cats, well, I only hear about it once or twice that people in some areas eating cats and insects, yeah, I agree with you, that is very gross, I also will never try it. But these people are not the majority.
3. Let’s buy the made-in-China cheap things in China!
Ok, I think this is a goooooooood chance for foreign people to know piece of our Chinese people’s mind. Yeah, nowadays, there are a lot of things that are made-in-China and they are cheap and popular around the world, but if you think they are cheaper in China, well, then im not certain for that. I was born in Chengdu, so I will take Chengdu for example, Chengdu is among the first-level city in China, which means the economy and size for the city is quite strong and big, even though Chengdu is a food-storage, but many things in our city are not as cheap as you think. According to a recent research, the cost for daily things in Beijing and Shanghai is 4 times more than the average cost in the US, while in Chengdu, the cost is about the same as the average cost in the US. Some of things might be cheaper, but trust me, they are not as cheap, as many people have thought.
4. Why do Chinese stare at me when I walk normally in the street?
Well, perhaps it is because you look like some stars they know. Im kidding, well, it is quite common that when foreign people walk on the street with some Chinese people staring at you, but they mean well, this situation will happen especially in those area where foreign people are not too many or among people who seldom see foreign people. They are just curious and according to my over-hearing, sometimes when I guide, I will hear our cute Chinese people say things like these:
” Ah, see, foreign people are very fit, they can even wear a shirt in winter!”
”Ah, these foreign people are really tall, how tall do you think they are? At least 1.9m I think.”
”Ah, the kids are just sooooo cute, is it ok if I touch their little heads? I think it is ok, in China, if we like kids, we touch their heads to show our love!”
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See, they are just curious, and because the language barrier, many Chinese don’t know how to express their feelings, but, next time when you see Chinese people staring at you, just give them a smile back, and you will know.
To be continued……
