50 Things They Never Said About China

#30 Let the games begin

wanderingsparrow — Mon, 03 May 2010 05:04:06 +0000

He lost. He had to drink a very...interesting concoction. Think Fear Factor.

Chinese youth like to play games. Who doesn’t? They are cool. They’re fun. They lead to bonding experiences. However, a commonality that is slightly less common in the States is that if you lose, you are forced to display a talent or do something rather embarassing. This is both fun and…well…embarassing. It forces you to dig deep because having to walk up to strangers and tell them you are an idiot can be rather awkard. It all in good fun though and inevitably leads to some interesting experiences.

#29 What mattress?

wanderingsparrow — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 05:04:48 +0000

Imagine less bedding than this.

So, you are pretty tired, right? You just flew for twenty some hours with all those layovers and connecting flights, and you would love nothing more than to flop yourself right down on your mattress, curl up, and sleep the glorious sleep of the exhausted. Your feelings have come to the “sweeeeet, I’m in China, but it’s naptime” point in the journey. So, staying in a typical Chinese dwelling, you throw yourself on to the bed and BAM! You just about knock yourself out. Ooops! You neglected to realize that there is in fact no matress but rather a rather thick mat that seems closer to a blanket than padding to you.

Moral of the story? Look before you leap…on to a covered wooden box.

#28 The Fast Train

wanderingsparrow — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:47:21 +0000

Most people in China do not have cars, and this ends up being a big plus for a foreigner who incidentally does not have a car either. Chinese cities have cheap and fairly good transportation, but the crown jewel of the Chinese transportation system is the fast train. China is a big country, and tavel cross-country can be a long and onerous journey. Luckily, the fast train cuts travel time in half. Believe me, compared to the slow train where on holidays it gets so packed that it is the equivalent of standing in a moving crowd for hours straight with screaming children and some people that should really have taken a shower, the time cut and the entitlement to a seat makes it well worth the extra money.

#27 Traffic dangers

wanderingsparrow — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:36:52 +0000

Driving in Chinese traffic always seems like a life or death event. Crossing roads is like a game of frogger. I have seen Chinese people cross six lanes of traffic in full blow rush hour. I think I scurried behind them in dumb fear. The rules for driving can be kind of loose. As with most things, do not use Beijing, Hong Kong, or Shanghai as a reference. In the other parts of China, it is not unusual to suddenly find oneself in the other lane of oncoming traffic. Exciting (in an oh-my-god-I-hope-I-don’t-die-sort-of-way).

#26 Two different words for Chinese

wanderingsparrow — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 05:11:55 +0000

The dangers of direct translation are that the links between languages are not solid. Languages emphasize what is important in different societies. This results in cultural stupidity or more specifically, my cultural stupidity. In English, we separate the word for English and American. We make no such distinction for Chinese (language) and Chinese (people). This can result in an uncomfortable misunderstanding for a beginner struggling to speak Chinese because they, of course, do distinguish between the two. The Chinese language is broken down even further to oral language and written language, but this is beside the point. If you say, for example, “Chinese not good,” you could very well be talking about the people themselves, and you might have a rather large crowd of boys think you are a complete weirdo. Not that this was a personal experience or anything…

Don’t be afraid to test out your language skills, but beware of translating directly from your native language. It gets…complicated.

#25 Jonesin’ for some diary

wanderingsparrow — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 05:10:17 +0000

Cheese, ice cream, and refrigerated milk! The saddest part of China is the neglected diary industry. No cheddar. No brie. No milk. No mint chocolate chip ice cream. What’s a girl to do?!? Mope, mostly. The closest you’ll get to cheese in China is Pizza Hut, maybe a cheeseburger from Micky D’s, and oh did I mention the warm, boxed, irradiated milk? A poor substitute, I can assure you.

All I can say is gorge before you go.

#24 Chinese paparazzi

wanderingsparrow — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:04:50 +0000

"Can we take a picture with you? Please?"

There is zero ethnic diversity in China. Let it not be said that there is no diversity. Southern Chinese certainly differ from northern Chinese.Let’s be serious. It’s a huge country. In general though, there are foreigners, natives, and the occasional expatriate. Foreigners are few and far between though, especially once you leave Beijing. Even living in Pennsylvania, we have a veritable salad of ethnicities compared to China. So, once a blonde, caucasian female steps outside, she sticks out like a splotch of red on white paper. This would be equally true for Indians, African Americans, Latinos, and essentially anyone not Chinese. Given the unlikely hood of many Chinese families traveling, not only will they point and stare, but some will ask to get your picture too.

Don’t let it make you feel awkward. Who can blame them? Differences are interesting.

#23 Birthday inferno

wanderingsparrow — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:34:44 +0000

What's a birthday without a fire?

Do not let your finger linger after you light it, do not lean over it, and after two minutes, feel no guilt in shredding it to pieces. The Chinese birthday candle is a dangerous and legendary thing. Not only does the candle shoot up into a mini torch, but the birthday candle plays “Happy Birthday” until the battery either stops or someone rips the wire out that connects the music to the candle. This probably breaks four safety laws in the United States. But really, safety shmafety! A giant inferno to celebrate your birthday is awesome no matter who you are. Even dissembling the candle adds a little festive cheer.

Three cheers to China for starting a birthday right!

#22 Peking opera what?

wanderingsparrow — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:18:26 +0000

Peking Opera is an experience to say the least. This is probably one of the clearest divergences in Eastern and Western culture. Often misunderstood by Western culture, Peking Opera is highly stylized with stock characters and…interesting singing voices. Costumes and make-up are undoubtedly unique to their culture, or at the very least, the East. This particular form of theater includes much training and is very physically and vocally demanding.

For an American, this type of theater will probably blow your mind, but just try to stay open to the differences in cultures.

#21 Leave the shoes at the door

wanderingsparrow — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:21:06 +0000

Do not wear the shoes inside!

It’s only polite to take your shoes off at the door, right? I certainly would not go traipsing into someone’s home with mud-covered boots and expect anything but a dirty look. My own home? I might not even bother…my feet get cold. In China, you are definitely the odd one out if you are not taking your shoes off at the door though. I do not mean when you have slipped inside. I mean before you have even entered.

From one friendly traveler to another, unless they have a dirt floor, leave the shoes at the door…(that rhyme was totally unintentional).