10 Things I Hate About China Posted by sasha on Oct 8, 2014 in Uncategorized
Have you ever seen that 90’s movie “10 Things I Hate About You”? It’s been a while since I’ve watched it, but it came up in conversation the other day and led to a discussion of “10 Things I Hate About China.” Having lived here for many years, I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the Middle Kingdom. This is natural – people love and hate things about where they live no matter where that may be. For those of you who may be pondering a move to China, I’m going to share with you ten things that I both hate and love about China. We may as well start with the bad and work our way up to the good, so here goes nothing:
1. Being a Zoo Animal
Smile for the cameras!
Many foreigners arrive in China and are surprised to find people constantly taking their photo (whether they agreed or not), yelling “Ha-lo!” in their face, pointing, and staring. When I first came to China I thought this was quite funny, and I’d humor people by flashing the peace sign (it’s actually “V for Victory” here, because they win?) and waving back with my own very brutal version of their common greeting (“Knee-how!”). After five years, though, I’m sick of being a zoo animal. No bumpkin from the middle of nowhere China on their holiday in the big city is ever going to stop and ask me how long I’ve been in China or try to make any small talk for that matter. Hell, half of the fun for many Chinese people visiting big cities is to see the silly foreigners and try to sneakily take cell phone pictures of them. I always wondered how Chinese people traveling abroad would feel if I did the same thing to them in my country, so one time I did. We found a huge tour group of Chinese folks in New York City, doing their usual routine of wearing matching hats and following a flag, when I yelled to my Girlfriend… “Look! Look! Chinese people! There are Chinese people!” We pointed and giggled and then awkwardly ran away, as they do to us on a daily basis. Something tells me they didn’t like it very much, but I can guarantee they’ll do the same thing the next time they see a foreigner in China.
2. You Will Always Be “Lao Wai”
A humorous look at the word “lao wai.”
This goes hand in hand with the point above. “Lao Wai” (老外 – lǎo wài) means “foreigner” in Chinese, but it’s not exactly the nicest way to say it. Plus, when someone randomly walking by you on the street, points at you and yells “Foreigner!”, you’re not going to have the best reaction regardless of what word they use. I’ve been called “lao wai” so many times in China that I like to joke around and tell people it’s my Chinese name sometimes. The word doesn’t bother me as much as it does other foreigners here, but after five years of constantly having it shouted at me, I’m fed up. It doesn’t matter how long you stay in China – you will always be “lao wai.” You can speak Chinese fluently, practice tai chi, prepare a mean plate of dumplings, and write Tang Dynasty era poetry in water calligraphy, but if you don’t look like them, you’ll still just be “lao wai.” Perhaps this is the reason that even though I’ve been in China for five years on and off, I refuse to make a long-term commitment here. I don’t study Chinese as much as I should, I don’t go out looking to meet Chinese friends as much as I should, and I don’t try to integrate myself in the culture as much as I should. This is most likely due to the fact that I know, no matter how hard I try, I’ll still just be another “lao wai.”
3. The Internet
An intro to the Great Firewall of China.
It’s no secret that China has a tight grip on the Internet. Commonly referred to as “The Great Firewall of China” and perhaps more impressive than the original, this drives both foreigners and Chinese crazy. At least there are Chinese versions of many of the sites that are blocked – WeChat is Twitter, Ren Ren is Facebook, Youku is YouTube, Baidu is Google, and so on. That’s great for Chinese people and all, but none of my family or friends in the States use any of those sites. If you’re hoping to keep up with people on Facebook, write a blog, use GMail, or post videos on YouTube, make sure you buy a good VPN before you arrive in China. There’s so much more to my hatred of the Chinese Internet than just a few blocked websites, though. Foreign websites that aren’t blocked load incredibly slow. Speaking of slow, get used to the turtle’s pace of your connection here. The worst aspect of the Internet here to me is without a doubt the insane amount of energy and resources that the Chinese government pumps into this whole operation. There are millions of people employed as “Internet police” around the country, spending their days censoring WeChat posts and blocking sensitive content. There are far more pressing matters in this country that deserve at least a fraction of the attention that policing the Internet gets. For more on Internet censorship in China, check this post from a few months ago.
4. Public Toilets
Practicing my squat in a Chinese bathroom.
There are few things worse in life than being out and about in China and suddenly needing to go running for the nearest bathroom. With all that oily and spicy food, it happens quite often – especially to those fresh off the boat. Upon entering a guy’s public bathroom in China, you’ll be greeted by a few dudes squatting over holes in the ground with no doors in sight, usually smoking and yelling into a cell phone while they do their business. Hopefully you brought your own TP and hand sanitizer, because you sure as hell won’t find any of that here. While these things grossed me out beyond belief when I first arrived here, I’ll admit that I’m used to the squatty-potty and don’t really mind it at all. I also make sure to always carry tissues and a bottle of hand sanitizer, just in case. What I’ll never get used to, though, is the gut-wrenching stench that seems to permeate every public restroom in the country. Personally, I can’t take China seriously as a world power until they at least figure out how to somewhat mask the horrendous odor pouring out of every single one of their bathrooms. While we’re at it, some doors on the stalls would be nice.
5. Degradation of Traditional Culture
Out with the old and in with the new!
Maybe I had some romantic idea of China before I came here, that it would be pandas running around doing kung fu while old men with awesome fu man chu mustaches sat around smoking long pipes and women wore their colorful traditional clothes, but I have found it harder and harder to find ancient Chinese culture. Sure, much of it was purposefully destroyed in the Cultural Revolution, but Chairman Mao didn’t open all of these Starbucks and KFCs. Nor did he tear down traditional neighborhoods in favor of hideous shopping malls. Much of China is in such a rush to modernize that they willfully abandon their unique culture of over 5,000 years. In another millennium, I doubt anybody will be listening to the Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga songs that China goes crazy for now, but I’m sure that ancient Chinese music will still be sought out. That is, if it manages to survive. On a recent trip to Lijiang, I attended the Naxi ancient music concert – a full on orchestra playing traditional music from hundreds of years ago. Many of the group members are over 80 years old, and they had to bury their instruments during the Cultural Revolution to save them from destruction. What endangers this music today is not the Red Army, rather it is the army of domestic tourists who would rather take selfies in a bar blaring awful pop and techno than see this traditional show. It’s not that you can’t find real Chinese culture out there; just head to a local park and get your fill. What bugs me is the willingness to destroy it in favor of shopping mall and fast food culture. If I wanted to see that stuff, I’d have stayed in America.
6. Lack of Hygiene/Manners
Garbage all over the place…
Another big shocker to people who first visit China is what goes on in public places all over the country. People spit all over the place, and men seem to have no qualms with blowing a giant snot-rocket on the sidewalk. Littering is just another part of life here, as people throw bottles, cigarette butts and other assorted garbage everywhere but in a trash can. This isn’t just true in the city, though – go on any hike in China and you’re sure to find piles of garbage scattered amongst the trees. “Leave no trace” is not a policy here whatsoever. There’s also no such thing as a line in China, as people push and shove their way to the front whether it’s to get on the subway or buy vegetables. Perhaps most shocking of all to newcomers here are the children going to the bathroom just about everywhere. I get it – diapers are expensive and wasteful – but that doesn’t make it OK for you to allow your child to make a poo-poo on a newspaper on the airplane. At first I thought the split-pants were kind of cute, but now I just get grossed out when I accidentally step in a puddle because I realize it’s probably urine.
7. Drinking Culture
Bottoms up! Again and again and again.
I love throwing back a few cold ones with friends, so you’d think I’d get into going out and drinking with Chinese guys. That’s not the case at all. Chinese drinking culture is painful, and that’s coming from a guy with 50% Russian blood, another 20 or so Irish, and a graduate of a Big Ten party school. There’s no such thing as casually having a few beers while chatting with your pals here in China. Instead, it’s glass after glass of rocket fuel (AKA Chinese bai jiu) and constant calls of “Bottoms up!” The Chinese word for “cheers” (干 – gān bēi) literally means “dry glass,” and they will accept nothing less. When drinking in China, it seems to be black-out or get out. It’s not just that, though – Chinese beer and liquor are absolutely horrendous.
8. Simple Daily Tasks Take Forever
Any time I need to go to the bank in China, I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. This is because I already know that at least two hours of my day will be wasted. Ditto for registering with the police, setting up the Internet, or any other mundane task that you would think should be quick and painless. It doesn’t help that most people take a 2 1/2-hour lunch break plus nap in the middle of the day. At my old place in Beijing, this was the insanely tedious process of registering:
• 1. Go to the basement and fill out a form in English.
• 2. Take said form to the office. Fill out another form with their help in Chinese.
• 3. Bring the form that’s in Chinese to another basement and have a lady stamp it.
• 4. Take everything to the local copy shop and make copies of it all.
• 5. Go to the police station, give them everything, and wait.
If stamp lady is out on her break, or the police are sleeping, you just have to come back the next day. This is merely one example, but I won’t bore you with any more.
9. Public “Holidays”
“Chinese Long For a Different Kind of Holiday”
A typical crowd on a Chinese holiday.
For public holidays in China, the government likes to make people think that they’re getting a long holiday. As such, people will work extra days before and/or after the holiday in order to extend it a few days. During a recent Spring Festival, many people worked nine days in a row so they could have seven off, and they worked an extra day the week after the “holiday.” As a result, you’ve got millions of stressed out, tired people all trying to travel at the same time. It is complete chaos in bus and train stations, on the freeways, and in airports all over the country. People pay more for tickets and hotels during the holiday week, fight through massive crowds, and return home more exhausted than when they left. That’s why I’ve been doing absolutely nothing this National Holiday week and loving it. If you’re going to work in China, be prepared to deal with these absurd “holiday” schedules.
10. Chinese Tour Groups
“How to Survive a Chinese Tour Group.”
Speaking of traveling, there’s probably nothing I hate more in China than organized tours. After a horrible experience on a packaged tour from Shanghai that visited Suzhou and Hangzhou, I learned my lesson. A majority of the day was spent crammed on a bus, although we did make plenty of stops – a silk factory, a massive shopping complex, and an awful, overpriced restaurant were all on the day’s itinerary. We didn’t see much of interest at all, but thankfully I was with a few friends who decided to make the best out of a bad situation. Regardless, I vowed to never waste my time or money on a Chinese tour group again. That was until I got conned into them again… twice. This is the part about Chinese tour groups that really grinds my gears – their willingness to lie and rip each other off (you’ll rarely find foreigners on these things). If you found that you’d been suckered onto a tour bus, lied to, and cheated, you’d probably be pretty upset, right? Well, for the Chinese patrons joining us on the tour, they just sat back and took it. Although I heard them complaining amongst themselves, they wouldn’t dare speak up and voice their grievances. This just isn’t part of Chinese culture, which very much values the group and not losing face. I don’t care about face, though, so I let these “tour guides” have it with my mediocre Chinese abilities. Hey, at least I know how to swear in Chinese… Should you ever be propositioned to join a Chinese tour group, run as fast as you can. Otherwise, you’re guaranteed to spend a day sitting on a bus, seeing nothing but tacky “workshops” and knick-knack shops. Learn from my mistakes, and don’t let this happen to you.
With that off my chest, I’m excited to get to work on writing about the things I love about China. While this post may give the impression that I’m a miserable, jaded expat living here, there are far more things I love about this country than the few that I hate. In fact, it took me much longer to compile the list of ten things I hate than it did the things that I love.
Update: This post has received many comments over the years, some positive and many quite negative. As the writer, I must remind people to please read the entire post, as well as the follow up – “10 Things I Love About China.” Through the comments, it’s clear to me that many people didn’t even read the entire post, let alone the follow-up. Once again, I had an amazing six years in China and the good most definitely outweighed the bad. This post was meant to give a clear picture for aspiring expats of what it’s like living in China – the good, the bad, and the ugly. I could just as easily write a list for my home country, and also for Indonesia, where I spent the last year.
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
About the Author: sasha
Sasha is an English teacher, writer, photographer, and videographer from the great state of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, he moved to China and spent 5+ years living, working, studying, and traveling there. He also studied Indonesian Language & Culture in Bali for a year. He and his wife run the travel blog Grateful Gypsies, and they're currently trying the digital nomad lifestyle across Latin America.
Comments:
kamar:
Thankyou @sasha for the wonderful article. I never visited China and it is in my long pending list. I lived in Singapore and Malaysia, which has large chinese population. Till I got some Singapore Chinese and Malaysian Chinese friends, my imagination about China was all great things in China. These friends experienced very bad experience during their travel to China. Still I have love to visit China and to see the historical places. The major input for me from you is the Chinese tour packages. I experienced similar Chinese tour packages in California, the bus full of Chinese tourist, the tour organized by Chinese travel agent. I was suffocating similar to what you said, all two days we spent most time in bus, hotel, restaurants and shops. I will plan my China trip more carefully now. Thanks again.
Chen:
@kamar I am half chinese and I lived in Shanghai for 3 years. I cannot believe the lack of manners if street rats here. The public toilets are mostly clean and we are allowed to touch pizza with out hands like ordinary people, but even though I look chinese, peeps STILL point me out and yell ‘OMG look they are speaking english!’ I didn’t understand. It wasn’t a crime. And since my chinese is rubbish, they are SOOO shocked. When I was living in Fulham everyone there was nice and welcoming. And people say China is a rich country! I don’t think so.
kathryn:
@kamar thank you so much.but maybe I should explain something for china.oh have you been china before?do you know that some western countries can’t accept the success of china so they try to fight everything about china.But I know all this speakings was not truly.nice to meet you.I‘m from Hong Kong china
Jon:
I want to share an observation I made on the apparently ‘dirty habits’ of many chinese I saw in Chengdu … even dirt can be framed culturally!
On an early trip with a guide, we stopped for pizza (a place I found on baidu, she’d never been there), and the guide was shocked when we touched our food. Several times over the next 6 months, I saw people eating Western food with plastic gloves on.
Who’s dirtier, the person who washes their hands and touches food, or the one who eats with dirty hands and carefully never touches it? Trick question, neither one.
Obviously, some methods absolutely are better/worse than others, I don’t at all think cultural differences preclude objective judgements, but I think ‘what is dirty’ is a particularly deceptive cross-cultural judgment.
I love turkey:
It is the culture difference.
I was shocked that people in US eating turkeys.
Turkeys are so cute and I would love to feed a turkey
lisa:
@I love turkey and people in china eating dogs and cats right? im a vegan vet, so you know my frustration. the way animals are treated here in china(im currently living in chongqing) is outrageous. they can be in love with grooming their puppies and the next second go to a zoo that people openly mistreat the animals.
anti-lisa:
@lisa Thats just racist, you cant just label all chinese people as people who eat dogs and cats, although there are some people in china that do eat dogs and cats. and for the zoo’s all zoos are the same, they kidnap dogs from their homes and put them in a exhibit , zoos will never be good to the animals.
ultim420:
I laughed while reading this when you told your girlfriend this“Look! Look! Chinese people! There are Chinese people!”
Guga:
I hate China and I hate Chinese. I’m a Brazilian and here in my city (São Pauli) we now have a lot of Chinese people, all they sell Chinese stuff, they have their own criminals organizations and are starting also to became politicians. But I still hate them. They take our jobs, they sell shit eletronics from china (all ilegal btw), they are ugly dirty fucking people with no good manners at all, they don’t care to learn how to speak my country language, they are horrible persons. For me those fuckers should all be sent back to china, that ugly big country from far away and never come back. I don’t have nothing about Japanese though, I like Japanese people, they are kind, clean and organized people, very different from those F chineses.
me:
@Guga guga: go choke on a dick and die you piece of shit. how can you say such ignorant shit and then talk about manners. who the fuck are you to think you are better than anyone else? looking down on people of other cultures but fail to realize that the rest of the world looks down on you and your country for its corruption and its notoriously dirty, poor and dangerous slums.
James:
@me @Guga I agree with you entirely. I’m from Australia and everything you’ve just said is the utmost truth. To the sooky children contesting this should build some logic on what you’re saying before you type.
Ren:
@James wow . I had two Brazilian boy friend and i like Brazilian people , i think they are warm open mind people , And now i saw this ,
chris:
@Ren woooow, res how old are you seriously? though Chinese people were nice and warm, as they are when u walk into their restaurant in my country but then I saw them here in china spitting, pissing, shitting on the street and as soon as some foreigner with a tourist visa does some small shit then they turn into some bloody racist folk like stormfront style…wowwww, should I think ALL Chinese no matter where are like this?grow up
Regor:
@James The majority of the Chinese women are who wish. That may be because they were trained that selling themselves is an easy income. Also, they better sell themselves you as new girls are growing up to replace them. DO NOT marry a Chinese girl until you know all of her familyand realize thheir income methods. It is the most impportant matter. My chinese wife of over 5 years was carrying on sex with a x-friend for a few years. Some women and men have no creditability or integrity.
bhbkjl:
@Regor they are all like this all of them
lisa:
@James chill. it is true, they do a lot of illegal things abroad, fake money, fake visa, fight cops, disrespect religions, torn down monuments, write on historical statues, steal goats lol this actually happened in my country. some foreigners also do illegal things in china but are strictly punished by authorities. thats simply what other countries authorities should do. be strict with them and punish them when they dont follow rules.
Alycia:
@me I loved this blog post, thought it was so funny!
ThinkAboutWhatYouJustSaid:
@me It sounds like you’ve never met nor talked to a Chinese person before and all of these ideas you have about them come from bias on the internet
Hellbilly Bob:
@ThinkAboutWhatYouJustSaid Met plenty of Chinese. My best friend married a Chinese woman whose father was a high ranking party member in the city of Chongquing. She refused to believe that her Government murdered thousands of students in Tianenmen Square & when we showed her the footage that clearly proved the massacre she still called us liars & demanded that we be kicked out of the wedding. My friend gave her what she wanted & no one from our old circle of friends has said a word to him since. The Chinese are evil scumbags, end of story.
There is no unilateral error:
@me We are all ordinary people, and we are not superior to ourselves. We can figure out what we can do. The Chinese can’t figure it out Never discussed with them, unilateral criticism does not make any sense. If there is any difference between the regions, they should learn from each other and respect each other.
Kevin:
@There is no unilateral error He did mention that he studied and worked in China for 5 years
kevin221:
@There is no unilateral error you sre sn idiot. who has obviously never been tp China. I’ve lived here for 30 years and they are monsters who have zero respect for each other, their own kind and anyone not directly related to themselves. You are an idiot who lives abroad and thinks she is better than because you have a tiny bit of Chinese blood but have never actually lived in this dump, like the rest of us. If you did you’d see what a trash pit this place and these people are. They physically fight one another for a salad, they shit in the streets, they le their children take a piss in the mall and at your front door step, they yell Lao Wai at everyone not looking Chinese and they hate hate hate everyone who is not exactly like them. They even refuse blood transfusions due to racism in the 2000’s. Its the most racist country on earth. If you don’t believe it, go home and see wh ata shXXhole your country is.
Hellbilly Bob:
@kevin221 For some reason this stupid forum decided to post my comment to someone else to you instead. Please ignore
Henry:
@me The fact is, Guga is correct. He said it in a mean way but I understand his anger. Chinese, as a FACT, inhabit places and regardless of where, never integrate and bring their terrible habits with them. I have worked abroad as an economic journalist from Ghana to Myanmar to Papua New Guinea and beyond…the Chinese are their robbing jobs, setting up shop, totally disrespecting those cultures and really just shitty people. I know of no one that says, “I’d love more Chinese in my country/city.” People would certainly say that of Koreans, Japanese Indonesian etc.
AB:
@me I’m indian and i agree 100% with you Guga. I had the misfortune of transiting via HK and I was shocked as to how badly behaved Chinese people were in the airport. They cut lines like they were vying for seats in a buss on the airport gate terminus, they made a lot of noise, one guy even stole my food in the airplane because he was hungry/racist and the police stopped to profile me twice. I also remember the chinese in my US hostel would never intermingle with other international students and vote for their own. They seem to have more money these days, but they don’t have any class.
Beimin:
@Guga U r a insecure loser can not get job，crying like a baby here. If u r so powerful，make your country ban Chinese people then. You stupid loser with your sad life！
Mrloggy:
@Beimin 👍
emily:
@Beimin sometimes people need to think about what they said so plz don’t say i hate china its rude to the people who are chinese @Beimin ur right.
Della:
@Guga Omg, please don’t hate me I will be super nice to you and I love Brazilian, I might be ugly (idk) but I’m definitely not rude, I’m just as kind as Japanese so don’t hate me please, and actually not all Chinese are hateful and disrespectful, theres lots of cool Chinese too, so you shouldn’t hate the whole country just because a small ratio of people
James:
@Guga I’m sorry about that. But as an Chinese, I hate these manners of other Chinese, and I hope the things will get better and the Chinese Education will be better and better, morally and academically. As it come to the word, Lao Wai, I think it is impolite too. However, there is something I hope I can explain. As it come to the Chinese cities, cities are so different in different places, with the different qualities of education and economic levels, causing the different density of friends from other countries, leading to calling “Lao Wai 老外”for the first time by people who actually don’t know the manner.
To me, the events mentioned in the passage can be said more as tragedies and results of the rapidly developing economy and the rather slowly improving morality.
Whatever, as an Chinese, I hate some of the cities and some people, but I love the land and country I live in just like people all over the world loving their hometowns and nations.
Ze:
@Guga Hi, I’m Chinese and I’m 14 years old. I live in the U.S. and Thanks for your opinion on my people. By the way I don’t like people who cuss.
Mensa:
@Guga Guga makes some good points. We shouldn’t stereotype, but if you have lived in China for over a few years, you will quickly realize the lack of respect and integrity. It’s just backward from other countries. Most places – 90% of people are good 10% are liars, inconsiderate thieves. China is the opposite of that. Sure, you will find some good people, but the culture and government will make the 90% much more prevalent.
Jk:
@Mensa @Guga Guga is right and that’s it
Tim Riediger:
@Guga You are 100% right. Why do Chinese go everywhere else in the world to live and visit. It is because China is completely bad. Dirty, rude, gross, money is#1. They walk in the middle of sidewalk and CANNOT DRIVE no matter which country they are in. Go back to China because it is so great and you are#1 you wish.
BUBU:
#7 is true.
I hate that too,
but if you don’t do that,
you’re not cool.
Gilbert:
I have to admit all you said are fact, though some of which are like a repeat. Those facts are truly happenning and also hated by Chinese, but they can’t be the reasons for “China is bad”. Though they get “laowai” to name the foreigner, it’s not an aggressive word or very bad word though it is not good, but I can say it’s without any despite, BTW, Chinese got too much “nicknames” form yous “polite mankind”, no?Foreigners get respect from Chinese mainly because they hope to be friendly to you guys and at least you wouldn’t spread that “China’s bad” like what you did.
emily:
@Gilbert chinese people some are good i’m now in chendu and everyone is good they helped me see chinese people is good
D:
All of this…so true. Feeling so gratified right now lol
Davidoff:
Their propensity to greed is the most hateful. They see you as an atm. Genuinely, the fake interest they have in you being a “lao wai” is immediately followed by how much they can take from you, fool you into giving. They are cruel, evil, and soul less. Their fake communist mentality is the tree that hides the forest – they are so crazy about money you have to experience it to believe it.
WolverineBlue:
.kinda like that fat guy who keeps stuffing his face while saying how bad the food it..
I mean this schmuck is a spartan afterall
sasha:
@WolverineBlue You don’t say – a douchey guy who signs his name Wolverine Blue? My wife who went to App State says hi, you tool.
puthly:
@sasha You are a good writer. I’m a Chinese middle school student and I’m try to learn English better.Actually I don’t like some people here throwing rubbish everywhere or doing something else bad. But in where I live,there are many nice people,I was told to be a polite and friendly person by my parents since I was a kid.Also,we Chinese have many to improve, hope you’ll be more comfortable than before.Sorry my English is not good.I love my country and I respect foreign friends. I’m not sure if you could see this comment but it’s almost my first time to reply a foreign person on the Internet and I’m a bit excited.
sasha:
@puthly Thank you for your response! Sorry it too me so long to respond. I always met many nice people in China, especially my students. There are good and bad things about people in every country in the world. I hope you also see my post about “10 Things I Love About China” to see how much I enjoy the country.
ThinkAboutWhatYouJustSaid:
@WolverineBlue Bruh. That’s racist. Chinese people are not scam artists nor trying to take money from you at an atm machine. I can claim that white people, mexicans, blacks, and Indians are all trying to scam me at an atm, but it is a baseless claim
lisa:
@ThinkAboutWhatYouJustSaid i hate to say it but its actually true. i live in chongqing for almost 8 years now, and all I’ve noticed is that they are kind and helpful. but dont dare to put money between u two. they’ll do anything for money. there’s something called hit and run, when they hit someone with their car. in order to avoid paying a crazy amount of money for the persons treatment (the victim will make the driver pay for God knows what treatment all her life), the driver prefers to hit to kill, meaning running over the victim’s body over 1000x if necessary then run. money is their religion
Ren:
@WolverineBlue who doesnt ?? its not fake communism mindset its capitalism mindset try to get every penny of you , you should appreciate that
NiMaDe:
@Ren No really, Chinese people don’t trust other Chinese people because dishonesty and cheating is deeply, deeply rooted in the culture. Go to neighboring country and sit down with a local and ask them their opinion off the record on Chinese immigrants and their country’s Chinese populations.
Simon:
I’m Australian and these people are the rats and cockroaches of the earth. Chinese people can’t win in sport and can’t win a model contest so they just breed that’s what they do take over this world.
They will screw their own family to make a buck.
Ugly people in life and ugly to look at
Tao:
@Simon I don’t agree with you at all.Why you always defame Chinese for no reason.I used to study Medical at Central South University for 4 years,and make friends with Chinese,they’re so kind and intelligent. My roommates are nice guys.
trueblue:
@Tao Whatever happened to giving someone a fair go, mate. I’m an Aussie and a country boy with nothing in common with someone like you. All cultures have differences and sure sometimes this causes some angst {do you know what this word means or do you need to google it}. Try getting some life experience and some education. Alternatively just piss off you tiny tiny little twat. I’m Aussie with Scottish heritage and your a bompath and a useless arse wipe.
Mrloggy:
@Simon Loser. Rasict
Mrloggy:
@Simon I am Australian too. I am also Chinese. You are a big idiot and I bet I am younger than you. And stop swearing so much. Chinese people swear less than you. “Chinese people only care about money” is a stereotype. You are a person who spends too much time looking online for a stereo type
emily:
@Simon i don’t eat not yummy food and chinese and i won theird in a race so some of that isn’t ture think about what you just said
lisa:
@emily no need to go online. just walk outside. unfortunately most of the so called stereotypes are actually true. i love china but i can survive without even socializing with chineses. again i live here for almost 8 years
E:
@Simon And they’re probably 10x smarter than you’ll ever be
Mary Coats:
@E Wow, just read all these comments. There is a difference between Chinese from 80 years in Communist China and generation Chinese in different countries. The Communist Chinese don’t know any different and have not integrated in other countries and lived beside other cultures. Really sad, if they want to live in another country they need to live by these countries rules and etiquette, the new ones straight off the plan seem to think the sun rises and sets with their culture and anyone else is inferior, no way to make friends and influence people. I don’t think JiJi has done them any favors. 5 things I love about China
1. Its over there
2 I don’t work over there
3. I don’t live over there
4. I don’t need anything from over there
5. When I see the worlds leaders and how badly they are doing I think of China and feel so better about the world we live in.
@peacefulJohn:
Chinese government is horrible too. Failed to do anything about north Korea and want to steal tibet and Sikkim and fight with India for no reason. And! they make plastic rice if what I’ve read is true- I hope it’s not true!!
ThinkAboutWhatYouJustSaid:
@@peacefulJohn That’s a pretty mean and horrible thimg to say. What has a chinese person ever done to harm you?
Have you ever even met a Chinese person? Have you ever visited China?
Liu Dingchao:
In China,these problems are also widely focused on.
ThinkAboutWhatYouJustSaid:
I would call public holidays a plus in big cities like Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai. It’s much easier to get a cab because the spring festival is the largest human migration of people
Sarra:
Hi Sasha,
Your post is very interesting however living 6 years in China and talking only about 10 negative things I think it is not really fair enough….I spent already 7 months in China and this country has so many good and bad things…I will try to mention things here that you haven’t mention in this post that may be will help people to thing carefully before coming here.
I will not talk about the good things in china or about how dirty they are or how mannerless they are, I will really talk about the thing I am facing everyday. I don’t know anything about big Chinese cities but I will talk about my experience in Changsha. I am Tunisian born in Germany lived in Tunisia and Paris and visited few other countries. When you will arrive here you will not really notice those things but with time you will be surprised:
1/ Chinese doesn’t really speak or understand English and even if they do they really don’t understand very well English
I am a post doc and even students in the university where I am working they dont speak any foreign language… only few of them talk English and almost 80% of them doesn’t really understand English
2/ if an employee (in post office, bank or university) goes in holidays (even for more than 1 month) no one will replace him so you need to wait till that person come back from his holidays
3/ Chinese really don’t care at all about your privacy….anywhere you are they will try to take picture of you without even taking your permission
4/ around the world people working in embassy, consulate or foreign center (tlscontact for example), they will be well educated, speak fluently at least 2 different languages and have enough knowledge about countries….unfortunately this is not true in China….you need to repeat your question or answer 3 times if you contact a consulate or embassy so they will get what are you saying
I applied for German visa so the employee in tlscontact asked me 1000 time if Germany (my birth place) is a city in Tunisia (my nationality)
5/ I learned few sentences (meiyou rou, wo yao kuaizi, etc) in Chinese so I can survive here but even using these sentences is not helping me much because they cannot understand me and I don’t know really why
6/sometimes the metro will be so crowded, people will get off so slowly and tgey dont care if the metro driver will close again the door….yes in fact the driver will not wait for everyone to get off from the metro
7/if you are sick in China you have to pray that you will get well soon….I was sick several time here and I went to different hospitals and I was really shocked doctors speak only Chinese they will never understand what are you suffering from and even if you take a Chinese friend with you he will not translate correctly what are you saying….and you will get the worst medication so if you are coming to china try to bring all of your treatment from your country
8/they still have building without lift…I am living in a dormitory in the 6 floor without a lift and when you will ask them to move you to another floor they will say you need to justify you have heart disease
9/ all kind of insect that you know or may be not will come to “visit you” in your room or apartment so make sure that you have always a mosquito net and insect killer
So my advice for anyone who is planning to come to live in China is : please try to learn some chinese (basic) before coming living here or your life will be so difficult…..chinesee will try to help you for few months but later you need to lean on your self
Minh Damien:
Just got back from China. Everything u said is true. The chinese toilet culture was disgusting and so barbaric
emily:
@Minh Damien not and have U been to china? if u don’t you might said some things wrong
emily:
@Minh Damien Not all chinese are bad i made bffs in china. see?
Chu Qier:
People who said such these bad Words on my country are from the bottom of the society.Now,Europe and America also has many dirty places and bad manner people except refugees .Chinese technology and millitary nowadays are advanced In the world.i think you are indaptive to the achievements.The problems we are focused on,too.
And In fact,many Chinese people can speak English well.You think they cannot because they don’t want to talk to you When seeing you.The photo you take In the bathroom Or toilet above is quite ugly and it only shows your looking.Your appearance is not the real beauty and handsome man of us.You Look like a wage earner.
So Do yourself well first and read more books from library and This can improve your ingnorent mind.
I’m a Chinese girl just graduate from High School This year.
sasha:
@Chu Qier Thanks for the comment. If you read the post carefully, you would see that I clearly said there are many things I hate about my home country of the US. There are also many things I love about China. I liked it enough to live there for 6 years. Every place has problems, and I was simply pointing out the good and the bad. I’m also not clear on a lot of your comment, probably because it was done through Baidu translate and you didn’t type them yourself. But good luck in college!
Ren:
@sasha i like the suggestion but not bad words~~~
however the one who wrote this blog is a person telling her true feelings , and i think we should change,
specially the toilet part `
Ha:
@sasha You just proved a point about Chinese people having bad English . Next time proof read your paragraph another 100x through and you might get it right
Fred:
@sasha @Chu Qier:
You sound like a wumao.
Just admit it, you are all slaves to an evil communist regime. The whole world knows this and the only reason we tolerate communist china is for the cheap labour. Hopefully that is changing. Oh and the world thanks you for the coronavirus…NOT !
Tim Riediger:
@sasha You sound like a Chinese Nationalist. Hey thats great you love China so much and their men so much. I guess you will be living in China the rest of your life and that is the greatest thing ever in the world. I wish more Chinese were like you.
E:
@Chu Qier @Chi Qier Nobody cares about your stupid military. Your government is as delusional and corrupt as North Korea and the only reason your country hasn’t fallen apart yet is because the regime still manage to make enough money to keep up their lies, propaganda and censorship going.
Jay:
Love china
Tim Riediger:
@Jay I am glad you love China so much. I am glad to hear you will be spending your life in China. I wish all Chinese were more like you and loved their country so much.
NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN:
You are probably one of those Chinese people who claim to be from an English speaking country because you have a passport from that country. Just because you have its passport, doesn’t make you from that country. I can tell from your crappy grammar.
dingdong:
Meanwhile I hate China, sincerely hate, not joking, HATE CHINA. Every morning I get up (in China) I just want to suicide. This country is so full of shit, that the money we take from these people simply can’t justify living in this barbaric, materialistic and backwards culture. But my god damn contract binds me to this hellhole for another 2 years.
Main focus, internet. I hate it and I pay well over 2k rmb a month for my business line, just to enjoy a 50mbit connection into foreign countries, still censored though. To those 2k rmb come another 500rmb for my private VPN server in Hong Kong (where freedom seems to exist).
People, straight out morons, 90% of them. The other 10% are assholes trying to rip you or otherwise abuse you.
Hygiene doesn’t exist.
Privacy doesn’t exist.
Culture … what culture? There is nothing left of the great ancient times, damn communism.
Thanks for reading, I’m tired of writing a valuable comment. So I’m heading out to get wasted again, so I can forget all the sorrow this god forsaken country has brought upon me.
FBI:
@dingdong Has it ever occurred to any of u that Chinese ppl all look the same? Many are getting stupid surgeries to get gross features such as a ‘double fold eyelid’, white skin, a ‘high’ nose and rounder foreheads. Why do they want to look like europeans when they are already chinese?
Esther:
I thought Chinese people dare to speak up for themselves, but perhaps that’s not exactly true. Well, as a Chinese living in Japan, I find Japanese people care about group and tolerate more when there’s a disagreement than Chinese do..(￣▽￣) Anyway, the reason I searched for this article is that living in Japan makes me think of how foreigners who really knows China thinks of Chinese, and I think you make a fair point. Only one disagreement, which is about the culture part. The Chinese culture is a living one, although you see fast food and modern buildings appearing in China, it does not mean that the traditional culture disappears. As you mentioned, in parks people are still doing Taiji or playing with birds(e.g in Beijing), actually the culture just becomes a part of our life, instead of existing in history or books.
IConquerChina:
@Esther Bastard Esther the traitor and dog lying about the non-existent Chinese culture in China. 1/1000 of it part of “our” lives while wearing Western clothes and using Western and Westernised wog Japanese produce.
A Democratic Canadian:
I agree with only some of this. I don’t like how you say this about China, (I’m not Chinese, FYI) but I have to add something:
They act like they rule the world. They’re always bragging about their technology, even though I point out it’s bad for the Earth. I totally disagree with you, sir. I’m a Democratic Canadian
IConquerChina:
@A Democratic Canadian No la you traitor and dog, Chinese culture is largely gone from China. You enjoy Japan too much and you pretend to be a Chinese. Those pathetic shows in the park even – how many young people are in it? Who practices Chinese martial arts and calligraphy? 1/1000 culture part of our lives 99% acting while wearing western clothes, adoring western culture, sipping western coffee and using computers and cars made by Europe and their WOG Japan.
E:
@A Democratic Canadian And they love going on about “sedition” this, “sedition” that. In the civilized world, it’s not a crime to have a different opinion. Those communist bandits sure are insecure.
LI:
That’s not totally true, In Beijing or Shanghai this kind of big cities, foreigners won’t draw any attentions any more, cause a lot of foreigners appearing in big cities. And some of toliets only in Hotong are without doors, in shopping malls or restaurant there are very well eqquiped bathroom. I don’t know other cities, but in Beijing ,now it’s hard to find any trash along the streets, unless you are in far far surburb where you almost cannot find any.
Richard:
I’m Chinese and from Singapore. I was born in Singapore, as were my parents. I’ve been to China thrice and there are many points above that are true. But given how big China is, and the demographics, we know anything we see should never be generalised. In my interaction with the Chinese in China, I have come across those who are as intellectual as they are kind, respectful, lawful and so on. And who speak English and a host of languages brilliantly. So it all depends on what one is lucky or unlucky enough to witness in any given visit to China. Or any country.
Anatoly Kulov:
China now is like Japan 6 decades ago when Japan was a rising economic power. It took a while for Japanese to get used to discipline. Although China is the 2nd largest economy in the world, the per capita income of people are still far below than the top economies of the world. The rich and well educated ones are still very few, while more than half of the entire population remains below the standard level, particularly those Chinese people who come from Western China to Eastern China for greener pastures. However, one thing that is absolutely common among them is hygiene. Although the rich ones have maids to clean and take care of their houses, I can still sense some hygiene problems even with the rich and educated. This is something that you will not find from Japanese even in the 50s and 60s when the country started to gain economic power. The largest exporter of viruses and diseases particularly in food exports remains to be China. It is their way of life and will continue to be so. In most countries, there are areas called China Town. See if you can find a very clean China Town. I’m confident you won’t.
SHUBHAM RAJ:
Actually , China’s Air Pollution is very high.
70% Chinese eat dog & Cat. By the way Internet in China is off, a few years ago China had a big market of Fake Apple stores. If you stay in China’s sanghi city one day, then you are equal to smoking 4 cigarettes.
NiMaDe:
China is a one-way street, where you give and they take. It’s where your culture and values are stomped on without apology, and theirs are enforced at threat, and your thoughts on the matter quickly dismissed or ignored. I’d say you’ve been too nice here.
You’ve missed 50% of the taxis in any city ripping you off anytime you set foot in them- fluent Chinese foreign speakers still get quizzed by a lowly cabbie to decide whether they’ll get ripped off. And missed the locals laughing when they here these stories.
You’ve missed strangling regulations on legal foreign workers sending legally earned money back home, while Chinese citizens can do it from the comfort of their homes on their bank’s phone app.
You’ve missed teaching high school kids who ditch a year of HS, buy transcripts with AP credits, cheat their way through everything, who go unpunished because the program needs their money; then go to your country to mind-mine the technology and bring it back to China.
You’ve missed 1940’s-esque ethnocentrism, where if you don’t look like the group, you’ll never, ever be part of it.
You’ve missed racism circa 1940, where people giggle when someone says “India/Africa//SE Asia is dirty and poor”.
You’ve missed the two-faced smiles and under-handed compliments of people who laugh the moment you leave the room.
You’ve missed working every Western holiday with no extra pay (and Chinese people smiling about it).
You’ve missed constant air pollution and fearing if what you’ve eaten is going to slowly kill you.
Ze:
I don’t really like the article. I’m adopted. I was born in China. The reasons you put are not impressive. I live in the U.S.A. In China I know they are fascinated with different skin people but you can find that in Africa. In the U.S. I get bullied sometimes because I’m Chinese. I can say that your reasons are opinions. My dad had fun taking pictures with Chinese people. He said he felt popular. Just because a culture is different doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Chinese is very populated and poor. I’m sorry that people aren’t rich enough to own a shower. Then again it’s my opinion plus I’m biased because I’m Chinese.
sasha:
@Ze Thanks for your comment, Ze! Be sure to read the other post – 10 things I love about China. I tried to give both the good and the bad about my time there.
Laowai:
If you want to understand Chinese behavior, look up a blog called “Mythbusting the cult of Confucius.”
If you want to read what foreigners’ discussing ethnic Chinese behavior, look up an article online called
“Why is Taiwan so unfriendly, cold, closed, repressed, antisocial”
you’re welcome
Lucas:
This article is full of prejudice. It is discrimination. I am a middle school student in China. There are some places in China that are relatively backward, but most of the places are well-developed. You’d better come to China to see if you do not trust you The media reported false news.
Troy:
@Lucas I completely disagree, I’ve lived in Beijing Shanghai and Hangzhou . All big cities and in the most developed region of China. There is no discrimination a lot of it is actually pure facts and truth because I’ve experienced it myself
Jim:
@Troy So What? China is still the great China, laowai is still laowai, you are always second-class people in our country.You are not happy about that, but nobody cares about you.
E:
@Jim Then piss off you communist bandit. Chinese Communist Party fanboy. Your people think they can buy legitimacy by throwing money around but your money is stained in the blood of your own countrymen.
RealIssue:
The real problem with China and Chinese is not something to do with their culture or lifestyle. The real problem is all of, or at least the most of, Chinese believes that China is the center of the whole world and do not have regards for other countries’ cultures, laws or lifestyles at all. That is what probably makes Chinese look more like rude or unruly cuz they think they are the center of the whole world and never listen to others.
Joe:
@RealIssue Center of the world, true. We dont care about your mind at all, that is fact. The only reason people talk with you is that they just want get some fun.
lisa:
once a man at the subway after staring at me for 20mn he finally found the courage to yell(because they like to put on a show, 你是非洲人吗？ my skin is brown and im brazillian, they dont actually know much about the rest of the world, so if u r not white, u r definitely african 😑), later he yelled so u are working in china hah, China is the second US…
well my point here is they’re not aggressive, they’re just ignorant. China needs time for its people to catch up with its economial growth.
the things they do now, are the things we did 5 generations ago.
if you want to visit china, find a foreign friend to show u around. dont come during a chinese festival. its crazy. keep ur mind open, be friendly, smile, dont accompany locals to drink alone they can get too agressive and patriotic when drunk, dont eat everything u eat, bring masks, bring ur medicines along with u, it might look safe but keep eyes open, close ur handbags etc
there are a lot of foreigners here (students, businessmen, teachers, the ones who decided to marry chineses). you will have an amazing time here if u find them.
Nicholas Winter:
He’s pretty much spot on about the place…… I’ve just done two years there and the wanton disregard for all things antique and the fucking noise levels not to mention their adoration of bulldozers and concrete mean, at least to me…..the place is a toilet…… there’s a free things worth seeing of course if you can bear heards of Chinese….. they’re absolutely horrific in numbers……the Thais segregate them in hotels they’re so disgusting…
I now live in Thailand, where the folks are very civilised in a way westerners understand or at least chime with……the Chinese are busy getting their filthy fingers in as many economic pies as possible……seems to be all they care about now after having turned their once beautiful country into a concrete toilet….and they’re busy doing it all.over Asia…..seems they won’t be happy until all of Asia is a potty…
Chinas foul government needs a good kicking…..I wish the world would get a conscience and move manufacturing elsewhere…..like Taiwan
I just flew to Laos and the dipshits were everywhere at the airport maybe ridiculous amounts of noise….. courtesy is certainly not something they have any idea of……
One on one their pretty nice people…..bit oh my God what a shit hole of a country and en masse you need a Fucking good pair of chink cancelling headphones…….
All I can say is thank God they’re English proficiency levels are crap and they’ve got a big enough toilet/country to absorb their growing population….. hopefully for less robust folks like me it will mean I don’t have to see them very often….
Hoping China’s economy goes the way of their country……toilet ahoy!
Moo egan:
I’ve been in china for just over a year now and I have to admit I’ve have good times and good memories here… But there’s one thing that will never change, I’m a native English speaker as I’m born in the UK. But, the reactions I get when I meet with schools or teachers looking for English teachers is disgusting. In one year I still haven’t found a school or job willing to accept me simply because I have a dark skin complexion and a beard. The beard isnt super big either . I feel like these two things in China are the perfect combination of being on the complete opposite of the spectrum. At first I didn’t mind, but now it really grinds my gears . I’ll meet up with a employer and just from their first initial facial reaction I’ll see a look of disgust … And then I’ll be asked “where are you from” when I’ve already told them… I could waffle on forever, but cut a long story short if you don’t fit the stereotype or look like a native good luck . What’s a native supposed to look like? Basically to all my Caucasian brothers out there you’re more than likely to have blast there , even to my coloured brothers and sisters you can have a blast but the boundaries are different some things will definitely be more difficult… I guess the darker your complexion gets the closer the boundaries will move together too . And if you’re not willing to shave your beard or have some facial hair paired with black or dark skin. Good fuxking luck .
Thought it would be funny to mention a little story, I’ll keep it short but I feel like it sums up alot about my experience in China …
I was on the subway in Shanghai stood next to a Chinese dude with some European Chinese friends. This dude was staring at me and didn’t take his eyes off me for 10 mins straight. Like I’m some kind of animal , eyes full of awe mouth open slightly his mind was probably exploding inside as he couldn’t comprehend this man stood next to him . Anyway, I said hello in Chinese and then he asked me where I’m from as to which I replied the UK . From there an elder joins in the convo and they both start speaking to each other as though I’m not there. There conversation went like this , “he can’t be from the UK, he isn’t white” “I think he’s from africa” “I don’t think he’s from africa , his skin isn’t black enough ” etc etc . Say no more …..
fucking China , boy what a place
Julie Millsap:
I’ve lived in China for ten years….and this is accurate. It’s not to say every person will behave this way…but these are things you will encounter (most likely encounter multiple times) daily.
D:
I thought I’d add a few to your list.
1. Listening to old women talk in groups.
2. Fujian people are the biggest crooks you will ever find.
3. Group traveling is stupid. Don’t do it.
4. Get work on the weekends that way on monday and tuesday you can go out and enjoy your weekend without the crowds.
5. Learn to speak the language otherwise you’ll be in the hot seat even more.
6. My kids are chinese but people still call them foreigners. This goes to show you how close minded most people are. Stupid idiots.
I also call CHinese people back in the USA foreigners. and they have said why do you say this to me?
And then I always reply in 汉语。
because i listened to your countrymen’s bs about people from abroad for 20 years and i am taking out my frustrations on you.
now, go eat your rice and please pick up your trash.
oh by the way
we don’t ‘chill’ at starbucks without buying something.
5000 years of history right?
then how come you guys haven’t figured out that food is actually supposed to be edible?
i cook myself
and my #1 thing I hate about CHina
The kitchens in China are just too freaking small.
if i were a hobbit maybe…
Jim:
you know what, at least in my city,people dont stare at you forigen people. The real thing is people just ignore you like air, dont try to find your self-respect in great China, nobody cares about you, if you are not good looking, then the only reason people talk with you is that they just want to get some fun. if you are not happy with that, bear it, nobody spoils u
E:
@Jim How much is the Chinese Communist Party paying you? Nobody cares about your stupid country. Shut up and eat your rice.
richnoder:
@E i love australia and china but china took western people job they don’t eat dog but sell electronic tcl tv i buy is from china the brand tcl tv i bought in good guy australia my neibour brother harry bought me tv
…:
dude seriously?
Wang:
the USA is more better than the stupid china
Aaron:
we hate F* China !!! China still using power politics and interfere with other countries’ internal affairs. Asian countries are learning to cope with Chinese bullying .
Britton:
While it is true that Mainland China is everything people say on here, please don’t judge Chinese people globally by that Hell on Earth. Why? This is because that freaky place does not really represent authentic Chinese culture. One of the worst things they did was to destroy the traditional Chinese language. People have to learn Simplified Chinese but it is ugly as Hell.
The “modern” China you have experienced is all about money and power. Ever since communism took over China, it has gone down the toilet from there. The young generations there have been seriously brainwashed by the creepy propaganda from the government. The ignorant lot there still think Mao was a hero when it fact he was a most evil dictator in history. Communist leaders only care about power, they have no conscience whatsoever. If you think Xi declared himself chairman for life was because he cares about “the China dream”, you are much delusional. It is his dream, end of. As long as these selfish dictators get their power, to Hell with the rest of the World.
You cannot expect communists to have fashion sense or any taste in anything. All they are good at is to copy and corrupt. Communism does not allow individual creativity.
Hong Kong was once a little paradise, but now every ugly communist wants to claim a piece of it. These days, you have to go to Taiwan or Singapore etc to experience authentic Chinese culture. Communist China is a man-made tragedy. That dictatorial shit hole in this century is all about money and power.
Having said that, there are worse places on earth. For example, North Korea is infinitely much worse. The dictators would shoot you if you dare tell the truth.
If Taiwan could take over China, people would feel very differently about Chinese. Sadly, this is unlikely to ever happen. Whichever dictator is in charge in China, he would make sure of this. Power corrupts.
Weaver:
Taiwan and Singapore are more authentic Chinese.
Josh R:
Here are some personal experiences of my own that are true. They concern the use of the words “lao wai”, and “waiguo ren”.
Traveling to Manila Philippines from Shanghai…in the check in line, some guy behind me made a comment about me being a lao wai. At T3 of Ninoy in Manila I saw him and his girlfriend eating at the Burger King, to which I pointed out he was now a lao wai himself – eating lao wai food! Did he do anything? Did he mouth anything back? No, because he was not in his safety zone anymore.
This is a very important thing to remember…about how they act when in their own country (safety zone). They think are untouchable.
Then once in Manila, walking down Adriatico Street (Malate) at night I saw a Chinese person with his girlfriend, so I started to troll the person (just how they do it in their safety zone to foreigners) with a few choice words such as usual favourites like “wo mei you” (do not have), “ting bu dong” (do not understand) etc. It is only when I said the word lao wai (using the insulting tone version, the tone that is racist) did he turn around and actually want to fight, when at that point his girlfriend tugged his arm to remind him he was not in Kansas (safety zone) anymore. That occurence alone proved to me that the word is used as a means of discrimination and doing it to one of them back, proved it.
Another time in Manila, I was in a bar on Burgos Street. A group of Chinese drinkers called me a waigou ren (foreign person). I took instant offence to it and not being a whimp stood up to the bunch of idiots. I mean Manila is a city I know extrememely well and the place I was in I know like the back of my hand, which also added more insult to being called a foreigner. Anyway the leader of the group could see he had caused a situation and apologised and bought me some beers. So what does that tell you? That the word is racist and used for that effect. But a Chinese person calling me a foreigner outside of his own safety zone, when he is also one? That is the biggest insult of the lot.
On the plane back, another couple who were assigned seats to me got up and moved to an empty row. The woman said “I don’t want to sit next to a foreigner”.
If anyone calls me a lao wai or a wai guo ren It really offends me. I will not give the explanation why however I like to point out that the person saying it to me is a peasant “nong min ren”.
Josh R:
I could add quite a lot to this article but wil refrain however I agree with most things you have written. One thing I will add though is about ‘how safe the country is’. Well, New Year’s Eve (31st December), in any large city it is not safe. As January 1st is a national holiday, the people like to go out in groups, get totally hammered, act loud and are agressive if challenged about it. It is as if the night belongs to them, even though they arrogantly have their own version of it a few weeks later.
December 31st in China is one day of the year when it is not safe to go to bars.
sasha:
@Josh R I spent several New Year’s Eves in China and went out to bars every time. Never had a single problem and actually had a lot of fun. Something tells me you haven’t and are just making stuff up…
Weaver:
Please try not to judge Chinese people by those who were born in Mainland communist China. The ignorant generations have been brainwashed from birth, only few of them knew Mao was an evil dictator. Mao had caused untold misery even beyond his grave. There is nothing Chinese about communism. Communism is just organised thuggerism, it is never about the people.
Chairman Xi might be portrayed as the most “powerful” man on Earth, he is nothing but just another thug. What good have communist politicians ever done ? They just help themselves with money and power the civilians have worked hard for. No decent people would think being a thug is anything to be proud of.
Hong Kong was a phenomenal success, people who worked hard got rewarded. Communist politicians went to claim ownership. Taiwan has achieved the level of success Xi can only ever dream of. So the communist thugs want to rob Taiwan too. Everything communists touch turns ugly.
Perhaps Xi was not born evil, he is certainly drunk on power right now. His father had also suffered in the hands of Mao, so how he could to do this to others is just evil. It is like the abused child has grown up to become the abuser. Another Hitler is rising up. The World needs to take heeds. WW3 would only end in tears.
In search of authentic Chinese culture, please look to Taiwan and Singapore.
khadija:
all u said is soooooo true i was about to marry a chinese guy the bad culture there bothering me a lot and they also eat dogs it’s very disgusting thanks a lot @sasha